


Like a Phoenix

by adarkworldfantasy, Vinvalen



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-19
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-01-13 00:43:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1206544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adarkworldfantasy/pseuds/adarkworldfantasy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinvalen/pseuds/Vinvalen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU/Canon divergence, set after the events of DeepGround. When Cid is taken hostage, a chain of events is unleashed that Vincent could never have imagined.  As ghosts of the past reappear, Vincent must rise like a phoenix from his own inner darkness to save his friend before a different kind of darkness claims Cid as it's own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Are ya awake in there?"

Vincent snapped out of the daze he was in, head jerking to the side where the voice had spoken to him. Apparently he had been very deep in thought; last time he had looked, the main deck to the Shera was filled with people and workers wandering back and forth, working on the tasks they were assigned. Now it was empty and quiet, himself and Cid the only occupants of the area. 

He shifted slightly from where he had been leaning against the glass wall he’d been looking out of not moments ago. "I'm sorry," he apologized out of habit. "Am I in the way here?"

Cid waved a casual hand at him, "Nah, not botherin' nothin' there," he said, cigarette bouncing between his lips with the words. He moved to look out the glass as well, watching as the sun turned clouds into colours of mandarin and amber as it settled lower in the sky. "What's on yer mind?"

What _was_ on his mind? Well, there was a question that couldn't be answered in a few simple words. Many things were plaguing his mind, just as they always had. Guilt. Hatred. Envy. Those were only a few to mention. "Nothing out of the ordinary," Vincent said simply, not wanting to go into detail.

Cid rolled his eyes. "Well that tells me everthin'."

"What do you want me to say, Cid?" Vincent asked quietly, though a tone of annoyance lay within.

"Vince," the pilot began as he leaned against the glass, arms crossed in front of his broad chest, "ya know how stubborn I can get, and I don't like gettin' ignored when I ask somethin'."

"And what would you attempt to do if I don't comply?"

"Well, fer starters, I can sit on ya until ya tell me."

A dark brow lifted as Vincent looked at the pilot in disbelief. "Sit on me? And if that doesn't work?"

"I'm resourceful, I'll think o' somethin'." 

Vincent couldn't help his small huff of laughter at the smug look on Cid's face. 

"Come on. What's rollin' around in that noggin’ of yers?" he asked, tapping Vincent's headband as his other hand busied itself with his cigarette.

Vincent sighed and shook his head, then moved to copy Cid’s stance of moments before. "I guess I just feel too out of place here," he replied bluntly, eyes once again focusing on the distance beyond the window.

"Why's that? Other than the cape thing ya got goin' on, nothin' different 'bout ya." Though there were things about Vincent that physically were different from him and the others, mentioning them right now was probably not the best thing to do.

"Seriously?" came the sarcastic response. "Suppose you tell me who else on this ship has been killed in attempting to stop the Sephiroth project, brought back to life with multiple demons installed within them, and then left inside a coffin for thirty years?"

“Sure, make us feel bad fer bein' borin', why don't ya?"

Vincent hung his head at the pilot’s offhand comment. His skin was thinner than he’d thought if such statements still had the ability to affect him. "It isn't funny, Highwind."

"I know, I'm sorry," Cid apologized as he patted the man on the shoulder. "So ya've been through more shit than the rest of us. Don't mean ya have ta go sit in yer corner cause ya feel 'not-normal' and we don't want ya around. Come on, have ya seen who we got in our group? We're all sorts o' fucked up here."

Vincent snorted softly. "Not as badly as I am."

"Who gives a shit, though?" Cid asked, his voice honest as he took his gaze from the clouds below them to look at the gunman. "Besides, I think yer pretty cool."

Vincent glanced over at the pilot once more, utterly baffled by the other’s response. "Why do you say that?"

Cid was taking the last drag of his cigarette when Vincent asked him the question. "Well," he said as he butted out his cigarette on the bottom of his boot, "I don't know. Just are. Ya actually talk ta me, so kudos ta ya there. Yer always watchin' our backs when we fight. And ya kick ass in battle, ‘specially when ya turn inta that winged-dude-thing-"

"Chaos," Vincent replied, quietly amused. His eldest demon was not, however, and growled his displeasure within the depths of Vincent’s mind at the lack of respect. 

"Yeah, that one!" the pilot exclaimed, unable to remember the name of the entity at the moment. He looked over at Vincent, who seemed suddenly even more sullen than he had before. Was it because he had mentioned Chaos? He knew that Vincent was troubled when he turned into Chaos, he could see the worry in his eyes afterward, knowing that the dark-haired man was dreading what the others would think of him when the demon came out. Cid was silent for a moment before looking back out at the sky. "Ya know, ya kind o' remind me of a phoenix."

This time, the gunman’s tone was bitter as he replied. "Phoenix? Why, because I destroy things?"

"No, no! See, why do ya go and turn things around like that?" he tried to tease. Cid smiled at him once more before looking outside again, trying to think of a way to put it. "I just kinda thought about it the one day when ya turned inta Chaos, there. Ya just reminded me of a phoenix when I saw ya like that. The way ya fight and fly, it's graceful like they are. They're strong, and have all that power they can use. And they don't die. Instead, when they reach the end of their cycle, they just burn away all the old and start all over again." He looked over to Vincent, noticing a different expression upon his face. Maybe it was understanding? "So ya see Vince, ya ain't this big, bad monster like ya think ya are. Yer just like a phoenix transformin' inta something even better than before."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU/Canon divergence, set after the events of DeepGround. When Cid is taken hostage, a chain of events is unleashed that Vincent could never have imagined. As ghosts of the past reappear, Vincent must rise like a phoenix from his own inner darkness to save his friend before a different kind of darkness claims Cid as it's own.

Chapter 2

 

The workings of the pilot’s mind were often utterly baffling to Vincent, but Cid seemed to honestly believe what he’d said, and he was surprised that he didn’t feel patronized or the target of empty flattery. It certainly took some getting used to, Vincent admitted. Then again, the people he’d dealt with in the past were certainly nothing upon which to base an accurate comparison. 

Within, he felt Chaos settle down again, mollified. It was enough. Vincent almost had time to exhale a quiet sigh of relief, but then the demon was suddenly fully alert again. The gunman could only compare the strange mental sensation to trained guard hounds he’d once seen straining at the leash in response to a perceived threat. 

And then the great airship shuddered beneath his feet, the ripple of it traveling through its hull from stern to bow in a continuous wave. It was ominous in its very subtlety and the gunman tensed in wariness, instinctively glancing at Cid to ascertain if he’d felt it also.

"Whoa," Cid squawked as he held out his hands when the Shera started to shake. The sounds of emergency beacons on the main deck started blaring, accompanied by a daunting, moaning noise that vibrated through the air around them, like the ship itself was saying it was hurt. "What the hell's goin' on?!" 

Cid bolted across the main area and up the steps, only actually touching three of them on the climb, and hastily started looking over the warning readouts. He’d barely had time to check it when the ship jolted dangerously to the side. Cid went flying, crashing into the barricade around the flight deck and down the steps with a sickening thud. The pilot growled as pain shot through his shoulder where he’d slammed against the steel wall, but irregardless of the pain that sliced through him, he crawled back up the stairs and grabbed hold of the wheel of his baby. Cid cranked the wheel in the opposite direction, but the steering was almost seized. Great, that meant one of the thrusters was down. What the hell was going on?

A flash of light caught Cid’s eyes, causing the gruff pilot to slam them shut at the shock of it. Once he opened it again he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Another air ship. It was nowhere near the size of his baby, but it was quick in flight, much more agile.

Cid growled menacingly as he watched a missile fly towards the port side of his airship. He held onto the wheel as the weapon struck, causing the ship to once more jolt sideways and start plummeting downwards. _"Bastards!"_ Cid hollered as he raised himself up to look out the front windows of the flight deck. They were dropping altitude too quickly, slicing through the clouds at a daunting speed. It wouldn't be long before his bird would hit the ground... Cid gripped the wheel tighter, putting all of his strength into just holding it in place so the ship was able to steer straight.

"Vince? Vince, where are ya?!" Cid called out over the commotion of the ship. Blue eyes started scanning around the room in a panic, trying to find his friend. 

“Up here, Cid,” Vincent replied from the shadowed hull struts crisscrossing above the bridge, just loudly enough to be heard above the warning claxons. From this height, it gave Vincent a clearer line of sight through the large window and he concentrated his enhanced vision on the attacking ship in an attempt to memorize as many details as possible. 

Cid breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his friend was alright. He’d felt a flash of worry rip through him over the possibility of Vincent having been knocked around somewhere within the area of the flight deck and injured. Afterwards Cid realized how stupid the thought was, seeing as how he was witness to Vincent fighting creatures that were hundreds of times larger than himself, not to mention countless other injuries that would have killed many others.

When the attacking ship passed below them and out of visual range, the gunman deserted his perch and landed silently on the deck below, grabbing the wheel alongside Cid and lending his greater strength to help the pilot level the ship’s trajectory. 

Cid grunted ‘thanks' to the gunman as they got the airship steadied enough for him to reach over and hit the emergency booster. He could feel the ship rumble and jolt once more before leveling out as the back up wings emerged from the ship and flared to life. It wouldn't be enough to fly his baby very far, but it would be enough to keep her steady for now.

Never was Cid’s conscientious attention to detail in the airship’s double-hulled design more appreciated and apparent than when she responded, though sluggishly and groaning with the strain of it. When they’d succeeded in pulling the Shera out of its plummet, Vincent glanced at the mishmash of readouts, specifically noting hull integrity.  
It was marginal at best, but enough to allow him exit if he moved through the lock swiftly. Giving Cid a quick once-over and satisfied with the pilot’s general wellbeing beyond being bruised and scraped bloody, Vincent spoke again in a tone that brooked no argument. “I’m going after them. Their prop design looks too much like one of yours, and you're as familiar with ShinRa weaponry as I am. If there's anything lodged in the hull, I want to see it when I get back."

Blue eyes flashed to the red ones beside him as Vincent told him his plans. Cid was about to make an argument, though he knew that look in the man's eyes. He had seen it many times before, that determination and drive. He let out a shaky sigh instead and shook his head. "Alright, git yer ass out there an' hunt the bastards down," he said, continuing to hold the airship as level as he could.

Another explosion was heard and the ship jerked and moaned once more, a few seconds later the attacking airship darted through the sky out of the corner of the pilot’s vision. _How dare they hurt his baby!_ Cid's teeth ground so forcefully together it was almost to the point of breaking, but this was Cid, and even his teeth were too stubborn to give up under pressure. "Get 'em, Vince. And make sure they're alive fer me so I can beat the livin' tar outta them!" he said with venom. No one, and he meant _no one_ messed with his bird and got away with it! And if that meant sending someone out to get them for him, well so be it.

Cid waited for Vincent to leave before he opened the intercom and blared the message through the ships PA system. "Everybody, pack yer shit and get off! This bird's goin' down!" He tossed the thing once more and hit the switch to the bay in the back of the ship, allowing the cargo hold to open so the ship's occupants could get out. Cid could tell...by the way that the airship was crying in pain, the way she shook, the way more alarms started going off, she wasn't going to pull through this. The best that he could hope for was to make sure everyone was off of it first, and try to land her in a place where she wouldn't sustain too much more damage. But with the engines failing quickly, and the damned attack ship outside, Cid’s optimism was plummeting at the speed his bird was. He could only hope the gunman was able to stop the other airship from attacking long enough to even attempt landing.

Vincent didn't hear Cid's final instructions to his crew. He exited the airlock in mid-shift, feeling Chaos' wings spread and angle to take them out of the ship's danger zone as it hurtled through the sky.  
He left trenches on the hull with his armored boots as he kicked off the side at a sharp vector that took him immediately downward and away from the turbine, but it was a near thing that left him flipping end for end in the big airship's wake.

Recovering, Vincent felt Chaos' superior senses realign with their target and sped after it as it completed the long curve that would bring it around for another pass at the Shera. Chaos snarled as he matched trajectory with the pirate airship and then dove straight downward. The rip and screech of metal giving way beneath Chaos claws and armored boots as he braked his momentum was enough to make Vincent's bones and teeth ache, even in this form.

Chaos clung like a leech, and when he had come to a full stop, drew back a fist and punched straight through the pirate ship's hull and peeled the metal back like a can opener. Rivets the size of Vincent's wrist popped like glass and stung against his skin, but were shrugged away as a minor inconveniences in the heat of Chaos' bloodlust. 

Then they were hanging onto the hull tooth and nail again as the ship began to buck and twist violently in the wake of its abrupt depressurization. Alarm sirens blared and he could hear inner bulkheads slamming shut, trying to seal off the breach, but the damage Chaos had done was enough to break it away from its pursuit of the Shera…at least temporarily. Vincent looked up just in time to see the Shera gaining distance, hoping Cid's skill in battling his crippled ship would be enough. 

Crew members and other company on board the Shera started fleeing in a rabid panic towards exit hatch as they heard the warning. The alert came up on the flight deck that the cargo doors were being opened, letting Cid know that the crew was starting to exit the ship. He hoped no one was stupid enough to stick around. Cid hit the intercom button again, "Let me know when the last o' ya are gettin' off!" he yelled into it over the screeching of failing machinery. At least he would have the peace of mind of knowing everyone was off, if the Shera did end up meeting her fate.

They were still losing altitude, and fast, but with any hope the crew would be away before it got to be too late. Cid checked the array of gauges on the flight deck again, making some quick calculations. With Vincent taking care of the assault ship, it bought him some time, and at the altitude they were now, if everyone made it off the ship in under three minutes, Cid should be able to find a place good enough to land without casualties.

He could hear the high pitched whirring of the thrusters starting to give out, causing the airship to shudder in the air. Cid grasped at the wheel of the ship, bracing his footing so he didn't fall when the ship started jolting again. The pilot felt a twinge in his heart as the ship continued to whine even louder than before. "'M sorry, baby, just hold in there," he said, as if talking to an actual person. Cid’s muscles burned as he kept the ship flying as straight as possible, hoping to hell that the others were getting off the ship now. Worry started to take over him as the ground grew closer with every second. Finally he heard the message over the intercom saying the last emergency pod was deploying.

"Not a fuckin' minute too late!" he growled to himself as he kept watch out the front windows.

"Alright, c'mon bird, hang in there," he said as he started flipping a couple of switches on the control board beside him. The ship rumbled and shook with ferocity as Cid adjusted the power output in the thrusters to prepare for a landing. However by the sounds of the ship and the vibrations increasing tenfold, that told him the engines were fighting the commands with every particle of its being. Gloved hands gripped the handle of the wheel with enough might that the material started to stretch and tear in places. Blue eyes stared as the ship plummeted towards the ground that seemed to be rushing by at daunting speed. A shaky breath passed his lips. "Sorry ol' bird," Cid apologized before shutting his eyes to avoid the sight he had been hoping not to see.


	3. Chapter 3

Birds screeched and took flight and animals fled the area as the steel behemoth came screaming down from the sky like a meteor and slammed into the rocky earth below. Trees snapped and splintered into kindling and the ground split and shifted as the weight of the ship smashed through the terrain. Sparks and flames erupted from the ship as it landed on its side and began rolling from the momentum.

Cid let go of the wheel, covering his ears to shut out the deafening noise of glass shattering into a flurry of shards and steel bending and snapping in a tumultuous thunder. He ducked down and stretched a single hand out to grip at the wheel of the Shera to keep himself steady but not soon enough. As the ship hit a monstrous pillar of rock jutting out of the ground, Cid's body was violently flung forward and over the steering panel of the ship as the airship started to roll once more. Cid gasped as he hit the deck, his back crashing down on the glass and twisted metal scattered over the floor. 

He tried to reach for one of the chairs that were bolted into the deck as he felt the airship beginning to twist once more into another roll. There wasn't even a brief moment for him to pause and think 'this must be what it's like to be a ball in a pinball machine' as he shot out a gloved hand at the one of the chairs just a second too late before Cid was hurled across the room again. He came to a sudden halt as his leg hooked around something. He screamed, unsure of where the pain was coming from that suddenly flared through his entire body. He grunted as he twisted around, ignoring the pain for the moment, grabbing at another bolted-down chair and clung to it like a lifeline until the ship finally came to a stop.

When the whining cries of his ship finally began to silence, Cid dared to open his eyes and look around. The first thing that caught his attention was the smoke that filled the air, unfortunately not the kind that he preferred. The floor was covered with so many shards of broken glass it looked as if it was made out of diamonds. Steel beams were bent and twisted in an obscene fashion. Deck boards were rippled, cracked, splintered and broken, the odd crackle and hiss still to be heard as electrical wires sparked and shorted out. 

It felt like he had been stabbed through the heart as well as he looked at what was once a pristine and beautiful airship; now just a pile of rubble. Cid nearly wanted to cry as he surveyed the damage that had been done to his airship but the shock was enough to keep him from doing so. It sickened him to think of what the rest of his ship might look like... Cid dropped his head to the floor and closed his eyes again to take a calming breath before looking around once more. He glanced down at his leg to see what it was that he had managed to get hung up on, then realized where the pain was coming from. Rebar had broken through the floor of the main deck in the crash and was currently sticking through his shin. Cid felt his stomach turn as he saw the blood seeping through the pantleg. He wasn't sure if it was broken but it was definitely a possibility.

Well, this was just great...now he really wanted a damn smoke.

Inside the rogue airship, Genesis smiled to himself as he listened to Chaos ripping through the hull somewhere above. Almost casually, he reached down with an elegant, red-leather gloved hand and flipped a switch that would close the bulkheads surrounding the damaged area and prevent pressure loss. "Welcome to my parlor," Genesis murmured. "Whatever shall you do now, Valentine? It seems you have a choice to make."

In the belly of Genesis’ airship, out of Chaos' line of sight, a small hatch opened, releasing a half-dozen of Genesis' special creations. These immediately sped away in the direction of Highwind's crippled airship.

Not deigning to look at the clones that stood to either side of him, Genesis issued further orders. "Take the helm," he ordered the one on his left, a black-maned, masked being whose mind was still intact enough to carry out the command.

Sighing with annoyance over being forced to deal with the clones’ general incompetence, Genesis reflected upon the inherent problems generated by genetic drift. He could not deny that Hojo's initial idea had been brilliant…but it was also inherently flawed. The second-generation Nero clones were subject to the same degradation as Genesis himself, though this same process, in conjunction with the Jenova cells, had temporarily stabilized his own condition. Now, however, the original DNA was finally within his reach, and Genesis did not intend to waste such a golden opportunity. Pocketing the Protomateria, he spoke to the person on his right. "Accompany me. Let us not keep Mr. Valentine waiting."

Cid went to the task of freeing his leg from the shaft of metal that had pierced it, growling as he grabbed the material of his cargo pants and used that to yank his leg off the metal. He allowed himself the liberty of screaming as he felt the bones and muscle twist in ways it really shouldn't. Yes, definitely broken. Cid took some deep breaths in an attempt to ward off nausea and dizziness from the pain that shot up his leg and into his spine. _"Fuck,"_ he cursed through clenched teeth.

Cid opened his eyes and looked around the wreck once more. It would take forever to rebuild it, bring it back to its prior beauty. Most would tell him to just create a new one, but he never liked the philosophy of just replacing something once it was broken. How were you supposed to take care of anything in life if you just discarded things and never tried to work on them to make it better? If something was broken, you fixed it. End of story. Not everything was a lost cause unless you let it be. Hell, that was the whole point he had always tried to get across to the silent gunslinger that joined their group. As damaged as Vincent may have said he was, Cid never believed it. Like Cid had told him, Vincent was just a Phoenix about to turn into something better than before. Sometimes you had to burn away the old before you could restart anew.

Thinking of that, Cid wondered how Vincent was holding up. Most likely better than he was at this point. Or so he hoped.

Now...if he could just find his spear that held his healing materia. Cid wondered where the damned thing might have gone, considering the tumble the poor machine took as it hit the ground. He looked around the broken hull of the ship, where wood and metal was scattered _everywhere._ And _what_ was his spear made of? Wood...and metal. Cid dropped his head to the deck with a heavy thunk. This was going to be like finding a needle in a stack of needles... "Just fuckin' great," he grumbled as he started to pull himself through the mess. Only one way to find out where it was... 

Three of Genesis' clones watched the pilot's struggles from the shadows of the airship's wreckage, moving neither to assist nor hamper his efforts. When the man had succeeded in freeing himself, they moved in. Looking down upon him dispassionately as he raised his head, one of them casually reached up and removed the mask from his face.

At Highwind's look of startled comprehension and instinctive grab for any weapon he could get his hands on, the bare-faced clone smiled coldly down upon him and stepped back, waiting for the others to carry out Genesis' order.

As for Genesis himself, he and Nero emerged onto the rogue airship's hull behind Chaos, the buffeting wind carrying away both their scent and the sound of their approach. Valentine's demon continued to viciously rip at the airship’s hull until Genesis drew his sword, igniting flames upon its length and pitched his voice just loudly enough to make certain Chaos heard him above the wind. "I think that is quite enough, even for a mindless cretin such as yourself."

Cid looked up when he heard a thumping noise in the ship, eyes going wide at what he was seeing. "What in the- what the fuck do ya want?" Had he had to hit his head _very_ hard, he thought, since he was now seeing triples of people who shouldn't even be alive. It was either that or was he actually dead and he went to hell and this who was greeting him to his new home. Neither option was looking good. Cid started to push himself backwards as he looked at the redheads approaching him. His hands moved across the floor, feeling for what items there were around him. He finally gripped a piece of metal, one he could assume was part of the former staircase by how it felt, and hurled it. 

Cid growled through clenched teeth as the one he aimed at ducked to the side, avoiding the airborne weapon with ease. He reached to grab for something else, _anything_ at that point in order to keep the others away. But with the pain throbbing in his leg and the blood seeping from the massive wound, his balance and focus were starting to fade. He swung another piece of...well, _something_ through the air, slashing feebly at them as they drew closer. So, this is what it felt like when the prey was being closed in on by its hunters...

On the other airship, Nero followed Genesis’ lead, standing behind the redhead as he waited for further orders. Long hair snapped in the wind behind him like long thin whips. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be," Nero spoke in an eerily calm voice. His arms dropped to his sides and pulled up the dual handguns and aimed them at the demon, red eyes locked on its target in case Chaos attacked. Nero knew that Genesis would most likely want to play for a while, so he would stand off for now unless the demon made a move at him. Then he would just have to play as well.

Bound deep within their shared consciousness, it was Galian's instinctive snarl that alerted Vincent to the danger approaching from behind them. The gunman gathered the full strength of his will and punched through Chaos' rage ruthlessly, forcing the demon’s attention from his rampaging destruction to face the more immediate threat.

In the space of a blink, Chaos spun about, crouched and ready to spring, instantly assessing the nature of his enemies. The clone at Genesis' back he dismissed as negligible, but the other was a different matter entirely. 

It was then that Chaos felt the onset of a familiar, insidious paralysis and narrowed his glowing gaze upon the smirking form that casually twirled the Protomateria in one gloved hand, his other seemingly relaxed upon the hilt of his flaming sword. Bared fangs drew back in another snarl as the demon raged against the knowledge of just how easily and effectively they'd been trapped.

"If you are quite finished?" Genesis raised a condescending brow, continuing to twirl the Protomateria almost idly within his grasp as he spoke over his shoulder to Nero. "Fetch them along. We have wasted enough time here already." He turned to go, and in that moment of arrogant assumption, Vincent acted in the only means left to him.

Straining against the semi-paralytic bond Genesis imposed upon them, Vincent joined what remained of his own fading strength to that of his demons. Together they lunged, not toward Nero, but in a weakened, awkward, sideways leap that aided by the curve of the airship's hull, carried them over the side to plummet to the earth far below.


	4. Chapter 4

Cid growled as he was lifted up by his arms by two of the clones, his leg shooting more pain up his spine. His head was pounding furiously and his vision was starting to go blurry. He continued to struggle against the hold of his captors, but it was all useless in the condition was in. Cid huffed as he tried to catch his breath, azure eyes rolling in their sockets as he was being pulled from the wreckage. Just where in the hell was Vincent? 

"Hurry up," the third clone ordered authoritatively as they stepped out of the rubble of the ship. "We need to get him to the facility if we are to put this plan into effect."

_'Plan? What fuckin' plan?'_ the pilot thought just a moment before he slipped into the clouds of unconsciousness.  
~~~~~~  
Nero gave a quick nod to the redhead and stepped around him, guns aimed forward as he closed in on the winged creature. Red eyes widened as the demon lunged at them, shooting all three of them over the edge of the ship. A deep grumble of disgust rattled in Nero’s throat as they barreled downward. Nero’s metal wings flared out on instinct, gears whirring and hydraulics whining as they tried to stabilize his descent. Though they were fairly useless for flight since their purpose intended for battle, it was Nero’s powers of darkness that aided him in flight.

Nero aimed one of his handguns at the side of the demon's head and pulled the trigger. The bullet didn't do much at all, considering the strength of the bone-like armor surrounding the demon's head, but it was enough to get Chaos to let the two of them go for just a moment. Using his foot, Nero launched Genesis away from the battle before starting to fire off numerous rounds at the demon's body. 

Eyes locked on the large gun that Chaos pulled, pupils constricting as Nero recognized the weapon. He had seen that gun, the Death Penalty, at work only once before- and the damage it dealt would be too much for him to take right now. Just a moment before the winged creature could shoot at him, Nero disappeared into a cloud of magenta smoke and appeared behind Chaos. Nero kicked the demon in the back, sending him spiraling out of control. Three more shots rang through the air at the demon as Nero evaporated once more and reappeared in front of Chaos, firing more shots destined for the demon's face.

Rather than attempting to deflect the rounds Nero had fired at him, Chaos simply was no longer there. Less than an instant later, a fireball hurtled with the force of a comet toward a drought-dry forest below, the trees exploding into a blazing inferno as Chaos fled within their cover. It would hopefully be enough to buy the demon time to recover and escape the effects of close proximity to the Protomateria. Vincent was well aware that Genesis and Nero could follow him even here, but at least the intensity of smoke and density of fire would deter his pursuers long enough for him to think and hopefully formulate countermeasures.

Vincent gave himself over to Chaos' protection willingly as the demon doubled back and re-crossed his own path, not giving their pursuers a clear trail to follow. Even in their headlong flight, Vincent wondered what Genesis' objective truly was. It could not simply be revenge, there had to be something more. Vincent was reluctant to voice his suspicion, lest he distract Chaos' dangerously divided concentration, but to Vincent's surprise, the demon spoke to him first.

_**~This was merely a diversion…we are not his true target. At least not at present.~** _

Vincent immediately made the connection. "Cid…" 

_**~Yes…and it is already too late.~** _

Vincent felt cold dread spear his heart. "Is he…" The gunman could not bring himself to finish the sentence.

_**~No. Not yet…but he is already beyond our reach.~** _

~~~~~~

"Cancel pursuit," Genesis ordered when Nero would have followed Chaos' retreat, watching narrowly as the other reluctantly complied. When they had touched down on the airship's hull again, Genesis turned his attention to the wildfire and thick smoke rising from below, observing it with indifference. It didn't matter that Valentine had eluded them; the gunman's reprieve would be a temporary one at best. Genesis had learned what he wanted to know- the effective range of the Protomateria. No longer embedded in Valentine and without Omega to intensify it as catalyst, it was severely limited, and the contingency plan Genesis had formulated was all the more vital to his success. Not bothering to glance back to see if Nero complied, Genesis spoke over his shoulder. "Come. We are finished here." 

Nero watched as the demon disappeared in a flare. He looked around and huffed quietly before disappearing, then reappearing on the ground. Nero looked to Genesis when the order was given and replied with a short nod, then slid the dual guns back into their holsters. As much as he wanted to go after the demon for another fight, this was not the time. He knew they had to get the rest set up now... "As you wish," he acknowledged quietly as he turned on his heel and started following the ex-SOLDIER.  
~~~~~  
Chaos watched Genesis' airship from the edge of the fire, noting the direction of its departure, and how it hovered for a few moments where black smoke curled up from the wreckage of the Shera. Golden eyes capable of far sight beyond that of any human then followed the ship’s path until it disappeared in the haze of the horizon, where even Chaos’ senses could not follow. Chaos could feel the strength he had used to escape Genesis and Nero returning slowly, but he was still too weakened to be capable of immediate pursuit.

Chaos could feel Vincent's rage, seething at the necessary delay as the gunman rapidly made plans, only to discard them. Chaos himself was beyond anger; he'd never thought he would experience the loss of control and imprisonment associated with the Protomateria ever again, thinking it lost and buried with the remains of Deepground somewhere in Midgar's ruins, a useless bauble unless in the possession of someone who was aware of its significance. It made the demon realize afterward just how lightly Vincent had held the reins of his captivity.  
This was why Chaos had chosen to stay with Vincent once their greatest battle had been over…or at least that was what he had told himself. Even now, the demon was reluctant to admit to himself just how much their bond had come to mean to him.

_**~What lies southeastward?~** _

Chaos’ question effectively derailed Vincent's self-recrimination in having been so easily duped. He and Chaos may have been Genesis' true target, but even together their attackers must have both known and planned for the possibility of being unable to defeat them. He'd fallen for the oldest trick there was…that of distraction. And now Genesis and Nero had a hostage; one which guaranteed Vincent would follow.

"Many things…but very little to hold the attention of that pair," Vincent started to reply, but then something Cloud had told him years before suddenly surfaced from memory. Cloud and his friend Zack had been on the run from Shinra then, and had found themselves confronting Genesis in what little remained of the SOLDIER's hometown…and what lay beneath it. "They're headed for Banora," Vincent amended and glanced up just as the skies opened and the first, fat drops of rain pelted down upon them. Vincent turned his face into it, thinking of Aerith and thanking the planet for its forgiveness of the destruction Chaos had wrought in their time of need.

~~~~~

Cid stirred in his slumber, thanks to a throbbing in his head. Azure eyes attempted to peel themselves open but the deep haze of sleep seemed to be lingering in his system. He almost wondered if he had been drugged. What happened?

Blue eyes suddenly had no problem opening when the memories started to flood through his mind. Cid tried looking around, but thanks to the bright light suspended above him, he was blinded. He cursed to himself as he started to lift his hand to shield his eyes...then frowned. He couldn't move his hand. Cid looked to the side and squinted then back to his hand. He was strapped down. _What the fuck was this about?!_ He tried pulling his other hand as well, and then his feet.

Cid lifted his head as best as he could and looked down at himself. He was restrained upon a steel table, shirt now gone as well as his pants, leaving him in his boxer shorts. He looked at his leg to see that it was now healed, leaving only a white line going down his shin. He inspected the rest of the room he was in and started to feel nauseous. It looked like a lab. "Hello?" Why the hell was he in a lab? Cid yanked at the restraints once more, trying to break the leather straps.

Genesis watched Cid’s ineffective struggles from beyond the pilot’s line of sight, amused even as he acknowledged how difficult dealing with the annoying man would undoubtedly prove. Still, observing Highwind's temper rise and begin to unravel was an entertaining sight and Genesis allowed it to continue for several minutes before revealing his presence. Genesis felt a pang of conscience as he thought of what his oh-so-honorable Angeal would have said about what he was doing, but ruthlessly shook it off as he crossed the room to stand looking down upon his hostage. "Good of you to join us, Captain."

Cid's head snapped to the side when he heard footsteps approaching. Even though they were nearly silent, he was still able to pick them out. He had grown accustomed to automatically listening for quiet footsteps and movements, even with other noises going on in the background, due to a certain red-eyed, brooding friend. There had been too many times for his liking that Cid had been walking through the air ship and Vincent would suddenly appear out of nowhere. The first few times he had not let it bother him too much. It was the time that he had been in a hurry to go to the bathroom and the man suddenly appeared in front of him and made him finish the job sooner than the pilot wanted, that irked him. That was when he vowed to keep his ears open for such noises much more often.

Cid looked up at the red-haired man and ground his teeth in a snarl. Well, at least there was only _one_ of him this time. Cid snorted. "Oh hell, ya know me. Don't like missin' out on bein' strapped ta a fuckin' table 'n all. Wouldn't miss this fer the world." Cid twisted his wrist in its restraint as he kept his eyes trained on the man. "Now what th' fuck d'ya want?!"  
Genesis cocked his head to the side, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed thoughtfully down upon his captive. "What do any of us want, in the end? We desire honor, or crave power. Some wish for love. We have dreams. In order to achieve any of these objectives, something must be offered in exchange. Thus is it written: Legend shall speak of sacrifice at the world's end."

"Yeah an' desider to wanna sprout wings and fly and have a foursome on a cloud, but that ain't gonna fuckin' happen, is it?" the pilot spat at the redhead. Cid just stared at Genesis, sky colored eyes looking as if they contained a storm within them. Cid knew who Genesis was once his memory kicked in after the initial shock, but how the hell was it possible? Weren't Genesis and all of his clones killed back in the day? Any that survived, surely they would have died due to degradation, right?

Here Genesis paused, smirking as the pilot glared up at him. "You are an educated man, Captain Highwind, in spite of all evidence to the contrary." Genesis frowned in distaste at the pilot's bedraggled state. "Such effective camouflage has served you well in the past, and are we not all chameleons, in one fashion or another?"

The blonde huffed and scowled at the relatively cool and collected man. "An' people say I talk too much," he grumbled. "Ya gonna keep talkin' in fuckin' riddles or gimme a straight answer?"

A noise from across the room captured the former SOLDIER's attention and Genesis’ demeanor changed as his eyes narrowed, following the path of a clone that was apparently checking readouts on the chamber's equipment. "It is of no matter," Genesis continued briskly, his manner shifting back to seeming indifference as he sneered at Cid again. "You are merely a means to an end."  
Blonde brows knitted together as he watched Genesis walk around. "Jus' what the hell d'ya mean by ‘a means ta an end’? What the fuck d'ya need someone like me fer?"

Genesis sighed, well aware that Cid was being deliberately obtuse, but not blaming him under the circumstances. However, the pilot could very well be still suffering the effect of blood loss and near- concussion. "Simply this….you are _bait._ Nothing more, nothing less." There were entirely too many listening ears to attempt swaying the pilot to his plan outright, but it did not mean he could not give the other man warning under the guise of veiled insults. "You are of no interest to us whatsoever. Mr. Valentine, however, is another matter entirely."


	5. Chapter 5

Genesis made a show of wandering around the room, hands clasped loosely behind his back as he used the pretext of distraction to decide how to best phrase his next thought. One could never be certain if the clones were smarter than they appeared, even though they were carefully kept to the more mundane tasks.

"I know you must recall the presence of myself and …Angeal Hewley within the ranks of ShinRa," Genesis said at last, impatient with himself for his hesitation in speaking Angeal’s name. "And of the circumstances surrounding our departure. If nothing else, your little SOLDIER recruit would have told you this much." Genesis made another circuit of the room, keeping a careful eye on the clone that was still watching the various readouts from the machinery there. Satisfied that it was paying no attention to him, Genesis continued.

"The measures employed to combat my degradation were temporary at best, though I shall not bore you with the details. Mr. Valentine, on the other hand, continues to not only exist, but to seemingly thrive. We want to know why…and thus he _shall,_ by one means or another, _provide_ those answers." Genesis took the Protomateria from his pocket and twirled it idly in his fingers before meeting Cid's eyes and holding them. "Pretty, isn't it…and I am certain Mr. Valentine would very much like to have the _both_ of you returned to him."

Blonde brows knitted together in rage. "So yer usin' me as fuckin' bait?" He, Cid Highwind was many things, but not bait, goddammit!! He squirmed on the cool metal table, ignoring the heavy throb in his leg from the damage that had been done, fighting the restraints again.

When the redhead started rambling about his friend, the raven-haired, gun toting ex-Turk, sky coloured eyes turned into orbs that looked like they contained a tumultuous storm within. "You stay the FUCK away from him!" Cid snarled as he yanked at the restraints even more, causing the buckles to dig and pull at skin, leaving marks along his tanned wrists. "He's been though 'nough shit dealin' with pricks like you!" Cid’s heart screamed for the gunslinger, hoping that Vincent wouldn't come to look for him, even though he knew that the dutiful, guilt-driven man probably would. The pilot didn't want to have it on his conscience that he had been the reason why Vincent would be abducted and go through the same hell that he had been put through all those years ago.

"I thought the plan was to bring back my brother?" a soft-spoken voice said as another figure stepped from the room’s shadows. Red eyes peered at the SOLDIER, eying the Protomateria momentarily.

Cid’s stormy blue eyes snapped to the side to focus upon the other man, who had stepped from nowhere. "What's he talkin' 'bout?"

"Careful, now," Genesis soothed the pilot with a condescending sneer. "We would not want you to damage yourself, Mr. Highwind. As for the rest, nothing that needs to immediately concern you…as you will find out soon enough." Genesis continued, inwardly cursing Nero's ability to arrive unannounced. He surreptitiously pocketed the Protomateria before turning to Nero, pasting a smirk on his face. "I was merely amusing myself at our guest's expense. Our agenda remains unchanged. If Mr. Highwind's reaction is an accurate gauge, we may not have long to wait. Is all in readiness?"

"Fuck you!" Cid growled as he yanked at the restraints once more. His leg screamed at him, begging him to stop, but when Cid had something on his mind, nothing was going to take him off the track of thought that he was on. "I'd say 'bite me,' but yer probably fuckin' crazy 'nough ta do it!"

Nero observed the pilot closely before returning his gaze to the redhead, studying his expressions down to the very fine details. His eyes furrowed lightly, crimson orbs flickering momentarily to the Protomateria as it disappeared into the confines of Genesis’ jacket. "Perhaps you should stop amusing yourself, otherwise we will have to repair him once more before he is useless to us."

"Th' hell ya mean by that?" the pilot barked. "What're ya sick freaks plottin' here?!"

"He is a rather talkative one, isn't he?" Nero commented in the same, calm tone as before. He glanced at the blonde once more and walked around to the other side of the table, observing Genesis through the hair that fell in front of his eyes. "Yes, they are ready to begin." 

"Ignore him," Genesis replied indifferently to Nero, with a flick of his hand toward Cid. "He is an imbecile." He turned away from both Nero and Highwind, again cursing Nero's timing as he picked up a syringe and held it to the light as if examining its contents. "Hold still, and this won't hurt… _much."_

As if the pilot were not lying helpless between them, Genesis continued speaking to Nero across the table. "If he is damaged, it matters little. As it is, he is in no danger of expiring, and his DNA sequence will not be altered anyway. If the blank clones are indeed ready for overwrite as you say, we have an acceptable margin of time to produce the required copies. Then we need only to conceal the original," Genesis curled his lip in condescension as he looked down at Cid "… long enough to secure our true target." While Genesis was speaking, he prepared Cid's arm and proceeded with the injection, commenting almost casually as he watched the needle's contents disappear into the pilot's flesh. "Tell me, Mr. Highwind…have you ever wished you had a twin?"

Cid snarled harshly and dropped back on the table as he tried to catch his breath and try a different way of wriggling out of the restraints. "Wh-what are ya talkin' 'bout?" he demanded. _What_ was going to hurt? What were they planning?

Nero reached over and held Cid down in a vise-like grip to make sure the needle didn't break off in the man's arm. "Either way, any difference in appearance will give away the original," Nero commented in the same cool tone.

Cid looked at the syringe in horror as he tried pulling his arm away from the SOLDIER and the Tsviet. _Copies? Conceal the original?_ "What are ya doin'?!" he screeched. He looked at the redhead when he felt the needle bury itself into his arm. "The-what are ya...talkin'...'a...about..." Cid made an almost inaudible noise as his body started to go limp, sea-coloured eyes rolling back into his head only a second before he dropped back onto the hard surface and was pulled into drug-induced sleep.

Nero sighed and withdrew his hand to cross his arms over his chest. "Now, since you are done playing, can we get on with it? Once Vincent Valentine deciphers where we are, it will not be long before he arrives."

~*~*~*~*~

Vincent looked down on the warehouse Chaos had told him hid the entrance to where Cid was being held, plotting the best means of approach. Chaos was restless, uneasy, but when questioned, unable to elaborate as to why.

_**~There is something…~**_ the demon said. _**~Something old…and nameless. I have not felt its like in a long time, but it has a familiar flavor…one I do not like.~**_

Vincent snorted softly, reining in his impatience. "If you cannot define your concern more clearly, your observation is of little use." Vincent refused to voice his fears aloud, even to Chaos, who knew all too well what the pilot truly meant to his host. Genesis and the Nero clone…if it _was_ a clone, Vincent knew would have no qualms about disposing of the pilot- especially if he became too much of a nuisance to them. "I suspected a trap," the gunman continued, "but we have no recourse. Cid is being held there, and as it is, aid is too far away to be of immediate assistance. The destruction of Cid's airship saw to that. Cloud could possibly be here within a day's time, but even that may prove too long. You saw as well as I did what we are up against."

_**~Which is the entire problem~**_ Chaos replied irritably, equally impatient. Chaos had pushed himself to his limits in bringing them to this place, and now that he was in close proximity to the Protomateria again, its possession by someone other than Vincent was again scrambling his senses. When the Protomateria had been a part of Vincent's body, Chaos had not felt such a sense of being divided within himself, as if he could not fully focus upon anything with clarity. _**~I cannot sense where your mate is being held. There is a …confusion about him, as if he has been…broken.~**_ Chaos observed uneasily.

"They had better hope he is _not,_ " Vincent snarled, his rage overwhelming the remainder of Chaos’ comment, and before the demon could object, Vincent broke from the covering trees and ran for the warehouse entrance.

Nero perched on one of the rafters at the top of the building, crimson eyes peering through a dusty window. Eyes flicked to the side when a flash of red caught his attention. "There you are," he muttered softly as he watched the gunman race towards the building. Thin lips pulled into a smirk underneath the mask as Nero watched the sigils around the windows and doors glowing more brightly more the closer Vincent approached.

Nero chuckled quietly before disappearing in a swarm of dark smoke and dashing through the building to take his place by Genesis' side, his form solidifying once more. "The sigils are working," he informed the redhead. "They are reacting to his demonic counterparts already." Nero looked to the front door of the place, watching the ghostly pulse of blue light of the markings on the wall. "Once he sets foot in here and the doors seal, he will not be able to transform into any of his forms."

The magic was an old kind, only thought to be mythological or superstitious. However, thanks to Nero's time locked away in the deep confines of Shinra and being restrained by similar markings, he knew the powers of these sigils and their proper uses. No one other than the scientists that bound him knew of the secret. Their knowledge died with them when Nero broke free one fateful day and let his darkness devour every last one of them. No one had ever thought that certain markings could control a demon's power, only Nero, though no one seemed to question why.

"Everything is in place." Nero looked to the redhead briefly then to the door, the claws on his metal wings clicking as they wriggled by his head in anticipation. "I'll seal the door once he enters."

_**~Vincent, don't!~**_ Chaos shouted within the gunman’s mind in a vain attempt to deter him from entering the derelict building. The demon's calling of his host by name was something done so rarely that this in itself would have been enough to give Vincent pause, but it was almost as if the gunman was being compelled forward with no choice in the matter.

The warehouse door crashed against the wall and rebounded as Vincent dived through, shooting at things more sensed than seen. Vincent shook his head in confusion, Chaos' internal, high-pitched warnings bordering upon frantic.

As Vincent entered the building, Nero dissipated into a mass of dark mist and sped towards the large doors. He closed the doors that had bounced off the walls and watched as the sigils sizzled across the doors, sealing the exit to the place.

Chaos' voice was abruptly silenced…as thoroughly and completely as if the demon had never existed and Vincent crashed to the floor like a puppet whose strings were suddenly severed. Vincent fought to turn his head, his blurred gaze searching for the man he had come to rescue.


	6. Chapter 6

Vincent struggled for breath, the significance of what had happened becoming brutally apparent as his sight cleared enough to discern the same glowing sigils Hojo had once used to contain him within the ShinRa mansion's basement.

"Don't think of trying anything foolish," came Nero's voice in an almost ethereal tone as his form materialized once more in front of Vincent. "After all, you wouldn't want to end up striking at the wrong person." Nero looked behind him to the darkness of the room and shifted one of his metal wings, signaling the others forward.

Three figures started to step out of the darkness, footsteps in time with one another as if they were soldiers. Nero's lips faintly curled into a small smile behind his mask. The clones were perfect right down to the last detail. Blonde hair was the right colour and length, blue eyes the exact same, the same dark tan, even the stubble on his face, and with the added details of the same clothing and dog tags the pilot had been wearing when they detained him. Another detail that Nero had taken care of. Nero, if anything, was thorough when it came to the planning for this.

"Beautiful, are they not?" Nero spoke smoothly as he stepped back and to the side so Vincent could get a good look at them. Red eyes scanned over the clones as he walked behind them, checking them over for any flaws there might have been. But so far he had not found one. "Hard to tell which is the real one, isn't it?" 

"No. They are not." Vincent snarled. "They are an abomination."

Barely-leashed violence from within brought Vincent staggering to his feet, fighting vertigo. He reached for Chaos and met with silence once again, but Galian's unexpected assistance left the gunman with just enough strength to fight back, even though the spells woven all around him prevented his ability to transform.

Nero tilted his head up slightly as he looked at the man with a strange sense of calm. "Aren't we all abominations in some way or another?" He made a noise, relative to a huff and a laugh combined. "That's all this planet is, after all. A large den of monsters and abominations." 

The bindings on Nero’s arms made a clicking noise as the leather straps let loose and fell down at his sides. Dark tattoos stretched down the pale skin of his arms to the back of his wrists, looking very much like wicked thorns imbedded in his skin. Pale hands flexed as Nero lowered them to his sides, fingers twitching lightly as they hovered at the sides of the dual guns. "It's just a matter of whom the last monster standing will be."

Genesis shook his head in exasperation as he strode from the shadows to stand between them with his sword in hand. "That is quite enough, gentlemen."

Turning to Nero, he said: "Have you forgotten our purpose, here? If you injure, or Goddess forbid, kill him, he is useless to us." Genesis knew what he was saying was entirely a bluff, gambling on Nero's intensity of focus on his desired result to blind him to all else. "Mr. Valentine's genetic makeup is most delicately balanced, and we do not have time to wait for him to repair whatever damage you may inflict."

Red eyes flicked to the side when Nero heard the voice of the SOLDIER. He made a 'hmph' noise then zipped through the room in a cloud of dark swirls to take to Genesis’ side, then folded his arms over his chest. "Do not take me for a fool, Genesis. If either of us knows the degree of importance his role plays, it's me." Nero returned his attention back to Vincent once more. "I would only maim if necessary."

Genesis turned his attention to Vincent. "Mr. Valentine, you are more astute than I gave you credit. Well played." However, as there is no escape, I suggest you follow us willingly."

Vincent's expression didn't change, but he also sensed that Genesis was not currently in possession of the Protomateria and pondered the significance of that omission.

"At least we have the right incentive for him to follow," Nero replied, a small smirk tugging at his lips once more.

Genesis mirrored Nero’s expression. "Indeed." 

"I would say that the clones look much better than the original right about now," Nero commented softly. "I know their temperament improved greatly comparative to the original." Thanks to a handy cocktail drugs Genesis had administered after the cloning process began, the pilot had become quite agreeable and had easily listened to their commands.

 

"They serve their purpose," Genesis interrupted, "and that is all that is required of them." Abruptly he turned to go, leading the way to Hollander's former lab.

Nero watched Genesis lead the way to the lab, crimson eyes shifting back and forth to between the clones and the gunslinger. He let his arms drift back down to his sides then looked to the automaton-like blond and walked up to stand beside him. "Follow Genesis. We will be behind you."

Vincent studied Genesis narrowly, ignoring Nero's goading. He called again upon Galian's senses, but to his surprise, it was Chaos who replied, the demon's tone revealing his extremely weakened state of being. Even so, it was encouraging. In light of what had happened so far in this place, Vincent hadn't expected to hear from Chaos at all. Before he could question, however, Chaos spoke. _**~All is not as it seems. Let us wait…and watch.~**_

Nero's lip curled lightly at the corner as he looked back to the raven-haired man staring at Genesis as he walked away. "Move along now," he ordered as he stepped back and signaled to the clones. They started to converge behind Vincent, waiting for him to move first before following.

Vincent glared coldly at Nero before falling in behind Genesis, not liking the feel of enemies at his back. Most surprising of all was that his captors hadn't tried to disarm him, but considering their abilities and his own weakened state, the arrogance implied in that 'oversight' was intentional. From Nero, Vincent knew it was a sign of contempt.

But then there was Genesis. The man was former SOLDIER…and the number one rule ShinRa’s former warriors followed was to never leave an enemy armed and at their back. Vincent considered again what he had witnessed from Genesis, and compared it to what Chaos had said. With Cid as hostage, especially if he was in an injured state, the likelihood of escape was marginal…even if they could make it past Nero's sealing sigils.

It left nothing to do but wait…and as a former Turk, Vincent was used to biding his time. Sooner or later, what he wanted to know would be revealed, and so Vincent watched closely as Genesis operated the keypad of a triple-reinforced door and opened it to reveal what lay beyond.

Nero kept to the back of the group as they walked through the large steel doors of the building. The clones split up, each moving off to take a place against the walls of the room just off of the entrance along side a handful of other clones, azure eyes watching vigilantly as they simply waited for another order. 

The room was quite sterile looking for a basement, really, and was filled with the electric hum of bright lights within the otherwise eerily silent, white space. Off to one side were a trio of Mako pods, another two containment chambers centered in the middle of the room, each connected to a computer set up beside them, though one was clouded with a light fog as if it was chilled inside. Shelving units which contained medical equipment and other unknown instruments occupied the walls along the left side. Over all, not much else occupied the spacious room- aside from the stack of bodies, that was.

Vincent thought he was prepared for whatever he would face there, but he was wrong. Frozen in place, even the weapon in his hand forgotten, Chaos’ vicious snarling within his mind echoed Vincent’s own as he beheld the horror that lay before him.

To the right side of the room was a grotesque scene. It was uncertain how many dead bodies there were in the large pile unless one picked through and counted, but it could be assumed that they numbered over fifteen. Perhaps the scene would have not been as shocking to someone as battle-hardened as Vincent considering what he had gone through in his life, but when every figure in the pile of bodies was that of Cid Highwind it made the scene all the more worse.

Vincent clamped his eyes closed, grateful to block the sight before him as he threw all of his diminished concentration upon the battle raging within. He couldn’t afford the distraction, not now…not here.

Adding what little strength remained to him to Chaos and Galian, together they crushed down against the swirling maelstrom of Gigas and Hellmasker’s raging attempts to surface in spite of Nero’s dark magic. Vincent felt his body twist and warp in aborted metamorphosis, but slowly, ever so slowly, he could feel himself regaining just enough control to halt the process. Drained and gasping for breath, Vincent crashed to his knees, his hands barely catching him before his face struck unforgiving concrete. Distantly, Vincent heard the clatter of his gun as if fell from nerveless fingers, and groped after it with a shaking hand until he could curl his fingers around its grip. And then he raised his head.

Genesis watched the gunman’s struggle with what appeared to be bored indifference, never moving from where he’d leaned against the far wall’s cabinet after entering the room until he stretched out a booted foot and nudged one of the dead clones with the tip of it.

Nero’s eyes drifted over the clones standing along the one wall by Genesis, looking to one in particular, the one he knew to be the real Cid. The only reason he knew this was because Nero had given the real Cid a special cocktail of drugs that would keep him in a compliant state and had given him an order to stand to the side and wait further instructions, and the pilot had not budged an inch. Nero checked his mental alarm clock. They had just twenty minutes before the effects wore off and he would have to be given another injection. He would have to make sure that Cid received another dose of the drug within the next twenty minutes before it wore off. He glanced over to Vincent. 

"Do excuse the mess," Nero spoke as he strode over to the pile of bodies. "For all that this place has to offer, you would think they would have a decent disposal unit. I had thought while we had the clones at our disposal that perhaps we could try making an attempt using their life energy to complete the goal we had set out for. One clone didn't suffice for what we needed, so we had to double them up. When that didn't work, we moved to three...as you can see," he said as he nudged one of the corpse's feet with his own, "it didn't matter how many we used. We needed something more."

On the floor, Vincent could only listen helplessly as he mourned the wasted lives sacrificed to the ambitions of madmen, as his human hand twitched, wishing he had the strength to lift his gun. Vincent had no delusions that once Cid’s purpose was fully served, if it had not been already, that he would be disposed of as callously as the clones. Vincent wouldn’t even think of the possibility of Cid already being among the dead, and if nothing else, he would make certain Cid or the remainder of his unfortunate clones would never have to face the consequences of whatever Nero had learned at Hojo’s hands.


	7. Chapter 7

"We need your help in a pressing matter, Vincent. You're the only one that will be able to help us in this endeavor." Nero nodded to the clones. "Help us, and we will return the real friend to you. Unharmed."

"I did not give you permission to call me by my given name." Vincent replied coldly, crossing his arms over his chest and displaying his claws openly. "And why should I wish to assist you in any manner at all? I do not respond well to coercion, as you well know…especially when my friends are harmed in the process."

If there was one thing the gunman knew well, it was that those who believed themselves in power and convinced of their own genius felt almost compelled to remind 'lesser' beings of their superiority. He watched Genesis out of the corner of his eye even as he prodded Nero, wondering which of them would fall for his manipulation first. Nero’s vulnerability in all but begging Vincent’s help could almost, if not for the means he had used in capturing both Cid and himself, win his sympathy...and the as yet unknown consequences of whatever Genesis and Nero had planned. Vincent listened for Chaos, but all he could sense from the demon was an intense wariness.

Genesis merely leaned back against a cabinet, watching them both without speaking. This more than anything let Vincent know that whatever agenda was in motion here, it was not of the former SOLDIER's devising…or at least not fully. Genesis loved to hear himself talk, and for him to remain silent was telling indeed.

Vincent turned his attention fully to Nero and waited again for him to speak.

Nero sniffed quietly as he turned to look at the containment cells within the room. "Perhaps the term monster, then. Seems to fit better." Fingers drifting lightly over the glass, just a ghost of yellow light appearing over the glass as the sigils within it reacted slowly to the touch before he pulled his hand away. "I seem to recall a certain person making similar comments about you when we captured him," he said as he looked to the zombie-like Cid. "He was quite distraught at the thought of something happening to you. Quite emotional, that one is."

He looked back for a moment, eyes calm and calculating. "No harm fell upon your friend that wasn't inflicted prior," he reassured him. He crossed his arms over his chest once more, metal wings folding in close to his body, the metal spikes for fingers at the tip flexing slightly. "We healed the leg but...we couldn't exactly completely heal him, just in case he tried to make a break for it. I made sure no further harm fell upon him. Isn't that correct, Genesis?" he spoke, reminding him of the injuries the pilot further received due to the redhead's goading.

Genesis cocked his head to the side, his eyes glittering. "Collateral damage is to be expected in such instances. It is no fault of mine that your playthings are overly enthusiastic in carrying out their orders." Genesis then turned his attention back to Vincent. "As you are well aware, a dead hostage is worthless. The harm inflicted upon him was unavoidable."

It was an oblique apology, but the only one Vincent would have expected to receive. That it was offered at all piqued his interest further. Deliberately ignoring Nero's taunt, Vincent spoke without looking at the Tsviet. "Hojo was as much a boring braggart as yourself, if not more so. At least he had something remotely intelligent to say now and again, seldom that it was."

"Hmph," was the first sound to come from Nero as he rounded one of the containment cells and came to stand beside Cid, the real one for that matter. "I guess I would have to thank Sephiroth's genes." The metal fingers of the wings reached out and dragged lightly at the man's cheek then pushed the goggles up so they sat on Cid's forehead a bit straighter.

Blue eyes flickered slightly at the touch though the movement had been barely noticable minus a meer dilation of the pupils. Cid trying to make sense of what was happening in his drug-induced state but was met with confusion when he noticed numerous versions of himself standing around. He had almost thought it was a trick of the drugs that had been given until his memory delivered him a message. Clones, right. Eyes managed to shift just enough to settle upon the raven haired man standing across the room. Vincent was here. Cid tried to open his mouth to speak, to tell him to get the hell out and not come back, but he couldn't. He attempted moving his hand to signal him, but once again the effort was fruitless. He might as well have been a manikin for as much as he could do right now. Just listen.

Nero looked back over to Vincent as he continued to speak. "Sephiroth's DNA helped create me, as well as my dear brother," he said as he strode up to the gunman's side in a graceful manner. "A part of Sephiroth, your son, is in me." Nero had read through the records of his birth, how he had come to be born as he was, where this power of darkness came from, the one that tore his mother apart and everything around him. It had all made sense then.

"Did you know that it was because of your father's research that we Tsviets came into existence?" he questioned the gunman. "He believed that the Lifestream's stagnation could give birth to a special type of life form. Most thought this theory was foolish, but there were those who were intrigued by his studies. So they moved to the next step, experimentation, and injected stagnated Lifestream into unborn children. Though they couldn't just use any child, they found. Hundreds of experiments failed, but only one succeeded in creating me, thanks to the genes spliced from your son, the icon of the Jenova project. Those enhanced genes, mixed with the stagnated Lifestream helped bring me into this life...and kill my mother in the process."

He was calculative as he walked around the room, peering at the clones, both dead and alive, then looking to the other containment cells, the one filled with the cool air. He raised his human hand and touched the containment cell once more, touching the glass delicately. He reached over and pressed a couple buttons on the electronic panel and the fog inside dissipated just slightly, revealing a well-built man with long, spiked, white hair resting within it, looking like he was sleeping. Weiss. 

"Then there is my brother," Nero continued as he raised a hand and set it upon the glass, looking fondly at his brother. "So beautiful. Graceful. Magnificent skill. Everything Sephiroth was, perhaps even more. Do you think that that's why Weiss was more like him," he turned to look at Vincent, "and I am more like you? That your darkness passed through Sephiroth and unto me, while his grace passed to my brother?" He fingers danced over the glass once more, lighting up more of the sigils. "No one else has a power like me. Where else could it have come from?"

Nero turned to look at the gunman once more, his hand still on the glass. "Perhaps it was because of your DNA in Sephiroth that made me who I am. My methods in battle, my skill with firearms. The dark hair. Or have these eyes..." he said as he stepped past him, metal wings clicking away as they shifted. "I have never looked beneath the mask I wear. I wonder if I have the same face as you?"

Vincent struggled to breathe. What the hateful creature before him had said reeled within his mind, all the questions he'd never dared ask himself through the years battling one another and falling into place in a hideous mosaic that was all too plausible.

 _Sephiroth…_ he'd chased his own son across the width of a world and helped, in the end, to murder him. That he had stood aside while another's hand delivered that fate made him no less guilty.

Vincent's hands were as bloody as if he'd done the deed himself, he well knew he was capable of having faced Sephiroth on equal footing and destroyed him, but for Lucrecia's sake had been oh-so-careful to never be in a position to do so. Even the thought of it was a grief too deep to bear.  
It was why he'd pursued Deepground so relentlessly afterward…to atone for the anguish he'd caused Cloud by his own reluctance and denial. Vincent wanted to believe he was no fool, and it was past time he stopped making excuses and lying to himself. Vincent sought Cid's eyes across the room, finding the pilot's stoic, uncomprehending mask had fallen away to reveal naked sympathy.

Cid's gaze met with Vincent's and he felt his heart slam in his chest. So, it was true. Sephiroth had been the gunman's son. Cid had speculated a few times in the past about that, yet there had been no solid facts. The only reasons he had come up with this theory was by the way Vincent had spoken of Lucrecia, and his guilt of having not stopped the experiments... Cid had hoped that it was a trick, that this was just part of Nero's game and this was not true.

Vincent snarled as shock gave way to rage and he launched himself across the space between himself and Nero, slashing at that hated face with his gauntlet and leaving deep gashes in its wake. The mask parted and fell away. In his peripheral vision, he noted that Genesis had not moved; simply watching the tableau unfold.

Nero spun to face the man just in time to have his mask ripped and fall to the side just a moment before he could grab at the biceps of the other in a deathly tight grip. The mask fell away even more from the side, revealing a mirrored appearance of the red-cloaked gunslinger as he faced him; the calm and stoic expression usually upon Vincent's face now upon Nero's. It seemed Nero's theory was not too far off after all.

"It seems I was right," Nero spoke softly as he could see his reflection within the widened eyes of the others. Metal wings shifted and reached downwards as the claws latched onto the grips of the handguns and pulled them up at his sides. "How does it feel? To look into the eyes of yet another product of your own family's dark legacy?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious rather than malicious. "It must be...horrifying."

Unable to do anything else to aid his host, Chaos curled around the shreds of Vincent's psyche, shielding him as the demon had done so many times through the years as the terrible truth was revealed and Vincent stared into a face that was all but a mirror of his own.

In that moment of Vincent's frozen denial, Genesis palmed a loaded syringe and moved away from the cabinet he'd been leaning so casually against, revealing what had been shielded until that moment.

Socketed into the computer linked to the largest of the containment tanks was the Protomateria.

With the same unreadable expression in his eyes as before, Genesis moved to Cid's side and held the syringe poised at the pilot's neck. "Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul…Pride is lost. Wings stripped away, the end is nigh…" Genesis quoted, almost as if speaking to himself.

Cid let out a weak noise that could have very well been a gasp as he felt himself being pulled against Genesis' side and a cool metal tip being pressed against his neck. The pilot tried to will his body to move even more, however it felt like it was still resisting the urge, as if it was waiting for a certain command. He looked to Vincent with an urgent look. He could not move yet, he had tried, but he was now able to look around of his own accord and was managing to move his jaw slightly as he struggled to speak. The attempts almost seemed futile at first by how hard it was to fight back, yet the battle was becoming a bit easier the longer he kept at it. 

Nero's eyes furrowed as he looked to the redhead. "What do you are doing?" he questioned in a serious yet deadly tone. "Weiss and I rescued you all those years ago. I summoned you back to life in that cave. Now you owe my brother and I." Red eyes flared even more as he watched Genesis stick the needle into the hostage they had taken. Wings twisting around so the double guns were now pointing at the red head. "This is for my brother! You know of the plan!"

Beneath the harsh lighting of the lab, Vincent noted the tremor of that fine-boned hand and the strands of brittle grey sprinkled among cinnamon.

"I am afraid my own motivation is not nearly as lofty as that of my associate," Genesis observed almost indifferently, his gaze shifting to rest upon the gleaming tip of the syringe. "Nero wishes to restore the glory of the past…but you and I are alike," Genesis continued. "We both know the shadow of death all too intimately." As he spoke, the syringe plunged home. "Goodnight, Mr. Highwind…may the Goddess guide thee to thy rest."

Cid's eyes burned as they looked to the gunman as he felt the needle push deep into his neck, swearing that there was now fire leaking through his veins. He made a few choked noises as his hand gripped the spear a bit tighter within his hand. "Run," he croaked.


	8. Chapter 8

Cid slowly felt his ability to stand -or use any of his extremities for that matter- disappear. Muscles started seizing and aching; he almost swore that someone had shoved razor blades within all of them. He winced and coughed painfully as his body slid to the floor and collapsed with a thud. Cid’s arms tightened against his chest as his legs twisted in agony. He tried opening his mouth to speak, but there was nothing but a small squeak that left his throat as he felt his lungs losing the ability to hold and release air. 

Genesis stepped around Cid and stood in front of him as the pilot slid to his knees, ignoring the pilot entirely, annoyance bleeding into his tone as he addressed Nero.

"Must you continue to be so uncouth?" Genesis snapped in unconcealed exasperation. "You will lead our guests to believe that the greater portion of your genetic legacy belongs to Hojo, though it would not surprise me in the least if such was indeed the case."

"I am nothing like the creature that dared take possession of my brother and threatened to take him away from me," the Tsviet snarled. 

"You well knew what my price was when we began this venture,” Genesis countered, his patience fraying rapidly. “It is not as if I have willfully deceived you. Need I also remind you that you cannot complete your objective without me?” Genesis braced his feet apart and planted his fisted hands on his hips, leveling a deadly glare upon Nero. “Now put your toys away and let us continue before we are plagued with any further interruptions. Mr. Highwind was undoubtedly on his way _somewhere_ , and not merely idling about. Eventually someone will come looking for him, if they are not already. Need I remind you of the nature of his associates? They are not to be lightly dismissed."

Vincent used Genesis' distraction with Nero to take further stock of his surroundings and assess Cid's condition. He was well familiar with Hojo's repertoire of not only mind-altering substances, but those which caused states of instant and prolonged paralysis in his victims. In light of that, whatever Genesis had injected into Cid seemed to not _quite_ fit the parameters of what the gunman had encountered before. Vincent met Cid's eyes for an instant as his friend fought to raise his head, the gunman’s narrow-eyed gaze cautioning Cid silently and then looking away before his own actions drew Nero's attention.

Nero gave a hard stare at the redhead before his wings pulled back and he slipped the guns back into their holsters. Dark, thin brows furrowed as his eyes shifted between Vincent and the former SOLDIER, though Nero mainly kept his gaze on Genesis. He knew that something was not right by the way Genesis spoke, his gut telling him that something was off. "Just get on with it. I've waited long to be reunited with my brother," Nero muttered as he strode to the tank once more, crimson eyes looking at the frozen form within it, "and I will not wait any longer..."

Vincent noted that the unoccupied mako cylinder upon which Nero had drawn his sigils was actually aligned on the opposite side of the computer where Genesis had socketed the Protomateria. The tank he had at first assumed empty was closed and secured, but also embedded in the center of its floor was a small, crystalline, uncapped test tube containing an unknown substance. He deemed it no accident that this tank was not magically sealed, as was the other…and the implications of that omission were chilling indeed. A viable Weiss clone, with Nero at his side…even with the absence of Omega, it would be as if Sephiroth at the height of his madness had returned. With the technology at Nero and Genesis’ disposal, it would be a simple thing to build themselves another Deepground army…and also restore both Rosso and Azul, if samples of their DNA survived. 

Vincent thought back to what Chaos had said before they entered the warehouse, wishing the demon could answer him. Whatever Chaos knew could not be voiced, but in light of their long association, Vincent was willing to take the demon's faint, wordless reassurance on trust. He would have pursued Chaos' allusions further, but Genesis had turned his attention from Nero to speak to him.

"Mr. Valentine, I feel I must apologize for my associate's ill manners. It is, regretfully, indigenous to his nature." Genesis' expression gave nothing away, yet his voice softened as he continued. "Your son was a good man; would that I had realized it sooner. Perhaps someday I shall have opportunity to make amends."

Genesis' eyes focused beyond Vincent's shoulder as the redhead murmured to himself. "My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment to find the end of the journey. There is no hate, only joy…for you are beloved by the goddess…Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds."

Genesis' gaze then turned inward until Nero made an impatient movement and recalled the swordsman to the present. Turning away abruptly, Genesis strode to the computer bracketed by the twin mako cylinders, speaking to Nero over his shoulder. "Let us begin." 

Nero watched as the raven haired man looked to the blond. He carefully pushed the mask back onto his face, covering it once more as best as he could. He had his face concealed for so long, it was strange to not have it now. He turned to the empty containment cell and opened it. Red eyes shifted to Vincent and he stepped back and nodded to the tank. "Get in." 

"You may not want to tarry, Mr. Valentine," Genesis added, sounding almost bored. He nudged Cid's body with the toe of one boot, watching the pilot's body flop bonelessly in response to the prodding and then turned back to the counter where he'd gotten the first syringe and picked up another. "Timing, in Mr. Highwind's case, is critical. How swiftly you obey dictates how soon he receives the antidote to the poison I injected into him." Genesis watched the tip of the syringe almost dreamily as he depressed its plunger minutely, sending a fine stream of its contents arcing into the air.

There was no choice for Vincent but to obey, but he stood motionless, inwardly seething and hoping for another option until a rough prod from Nero pushed him toward the tank. Even if he did comply, there was no guarantee Genesis would actually follow through on his promise, but then the gunman thought again of the former SOLDIER's actions and how he seemed to be imparting subtle clues in the things he'd done and said. Still, it was with guilt for having failed Cid when he needed him most weighing relentlessly upon him as Vincent finally stepped into the containment chamber and heard the door close behind him.

 

"Do not worry," Nero said as he closed the chamber, watching as the symbols flared lightly then disappeared once the door clicked into place. "Consider this a gift, as well as redemption for your sins." Nero took a couple steps back and looked at the cell holding Vincent briefly before returning his attention back to Weiss. 

Nero's eyes softened, a mixed look of hope and joy replacing his previous rage. He could feel his heart tightening in his chest with joy. He would finally have it. His brother, alive and well once more. Nero would no longer be left alone in this world. His brother had been the only thing he had considered true family, the white light that had shone into his darkness and made him feel less alone. All those years locked away deep in the confines of ShinRa, he had always believed he would be alone. Over time he had accepted himself as a monster, that he would never be looked at as merely a statistic on a paper but a successful experiment, though one too dangerous to set free. Yet Weiss, he had been the first to show Nero compassion, spoke to him as if he was _someone_ not something that radiated evil and darkness and would destroy everything in his wake. If it wasn't for that pitiful excuse for a human, Hojo, Weiss would be here with him now and such measures wouldn't need to be taken. "It is almost time, my brother. I told you I would keep my promise. Nothing will tear us apart again."

 

When they were isolated within the containment tank, Chaos spoke in Vincent’s mind, the demon's voice the strongest it had been since they'd entered the warehouse.

_~Now we may speak without unwelcome listeners. The Dark one's barrier works in ways even he does not suspect. Will you trust me, host?~_

"As if I have a choice," Vincent murmured behind the collar of his cape as he watched Genesis enter a series of commands into the computer that housed the Protomateria, causing it to flare to life. When he was done, Genesis picked up the syringe and with a half-smile, walked to where Cid lay and crouched down, injecting the contents into the pilot's body as he had promised. When he was finished, Genesis ignored the pilot as completely as he had before, walking over to the second containment chamber to observe the process he'd begun.

Inside his mind, Vincent could only describe the sensation as if Chaos had indulged in a full-body stretch. The gunman could not have described what happened from there, except that _something_ shifted, and he felt the demon regaining strength. In the containment chamber attached to Vincent's own, another fine mist rose from the tiny container embedded in its floor, rising and swirling until it completely filled the tube's contours and concealed whatever was occurring within.

"Legend shall speak of sacrifice at world’s end…the wind sails over the water’s surface quietly, but surely." Genesis never took his eyes from the tank, but his lips curled faintly in a sad smile. "Not very long at all," he replied, "and then we shall both have all we have dreamed and awaited for so very long."

It was a strange state that the pilot was in at the meantime. Cid felt like he was so close to death, incredibly cold, yet hanging on enough to know he was alive. He wished he knew what the hell was going on, where Vincent was, if he was alright. Oh, he could only imagine how the guilt-ridden gunman was dealing with this. Cid wished the man had just...run, got the hell out of here, but he had a feeling that he hadn't. Vincent wouldn't just leave. He would feel duty bound to do something to make up for what Vincent thought was his flaw, wouldn't he?

Vincent held himself still within his own containment cell by the force of sheer will, but his eyes flicked constantly between where Cid lay helpless upon the floor and the tank Genesis and Nero were observing so closely. He could not hear what the former SOLDIER had said, but his training as a Turk made him adept at reading lips.

He had only an instant to ponder the meaning of what Genesis had said before several things vied for his attention. On the floor beyond Vincent's tank, he saw Cid's hand twitch slightly and slowly curl as if he were grasping a spear. Vincent closed his eyes against the intensity of his relief, a single word forming upon his lips. _Cid…_

Genesis had kept his word.

Chaos' intense reaction to what was happening brought him back to the present an instant later and Vincent opened his eyes. In the secondary tank where the green mist was swirling ever more violently, Weiss’ previously static figure was beginning to move. Where the Protomateria was socketed into the computer between the tanks, it flared and pulsed and seemed to be… _shrinking._

As for himself, the resulting paradox of whatever Chaos was doing left Vincent weak, and yet somehow stronger. The experience was nothing Vincent could truly have given a name to, other than being turned inside out- and too akin to what he endured in the midst of a transformation. Vincent spared an instant to glance down at his own body, wondering if one of his lesser demons had found a way to manifest in spite of their imprisonment, but saw nothing amiss. Cid, though…had his arm moved? Vincent could only pray that Nero would not notice, but another glance in that direction revealed that Nero's attention was riveted completely upon the other tank and what was happening there.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chaos? What is-_ Vincent began, only to be interrupted by dark laughter from within.

_**~Look closely, Host. Tell me what you see.~**_

In the tank beyond, the mist that had filled it was beginning to slow…and thin. The vague form Vincent had glimpsed only a few moments before was not what he had expected, however. The hair wasn't what he expected, either…it was black- as black as Vincent's own. When it floated to settle around the figure, it cloaked him to his knees.  
Azure eyes cracked open, eyelids straining to pull back even more to look around even though the heavy ache in his body was enough to make him want to stay where he was. The last time that his lungs hurt this badly was when he had fallen asleep, face-first on the floor of his bedroom after a night of heavy drinking and having smoked two cigarette packs within a matter of hours. Maybe even not as bad as that. He looked around as best as he could. Eyes immediately settled on a long trail of black hair and he blinked to try and clear his fogged vision. Was that...no, that wasn't Weiss, was it? That hair...that long, _silver_ hair.

_'Sephiroth?'_ Blue eyes blinked wildly and he lazily raised a hand to rub at the orbs in order to double check that he had not been seeing things. Upon a second gaze, he realized...he truly was _not_ seeing things. But how? Was that what the two had been planning? How was it even possible? Sure, Cid knew about nearly everything there was about mechanics and electronics, but when it came to cloning people or just recreating them, not so much.

The look of joy and hopefulness that had been so evident in Nero's eyes quickly began to melt away and morph into that of confusion and rage. _"What is this?"_ he hissed darkly as he looked at the form of his brother melting away only to be replaced by something different. Someone different; one with long, silver locks that trailed down past the slender man's hips, and an almost-feminine looking face gazing at him. 

Cid grumbled as the two others in the room spat words or anger with one another, rolling over onto his stomach, hands stretching out in front of himself. "Never gets borin'," he grumbled quietly to himself and pulled himself closer to the tank. He winced as he tried to get his muscles working, irregardless of what his body wanted. He pushed himself up onto his one knee as he looked up at the tank, uncertainty and hopefulness etched into his features. 

"Really hope this ain't another one o' my dumbass ideas," Cid muttered as he looked at the familiar figure within the cell. Knowing his luck, especially considering the events of the day, this would end up being the Sephiroth that they had fought against before and his head was about to be ripped off the second the silver-haired SOLDIER stepped out of the tank... Cid shifted and pulled himself up enough to lean against the side of the glass and stretched a hand out to grab hold of the large steel handle of the containment cell. Cid growled as he forced his energy into his arm and yanked on the handle, hearing the resounding 'click' and 'hiss' of the door opening before he let himself drop back to the floor, his energy for the time being disappearing on him in a flash.

_**~Hold!~**_ Chaos commanded inside Vincent's mind, loudly enough to make his ears ring when the Turk would have launched himself from his containment chamber. _**~Leave now and you and your son will both die!~**_

Vincent reeled, trying to comprehend what the demon was telling him, wanting desperately to go to Cid before Nero could notice what the pilot had done and retaliate. His eyes flicked to the other tank and then to the computer channeling whatever Chaos was doing through the Protomateria. 

The materia had shrunk again. Now only a fraction of its original size, it had also faded to a dimly glowing ball. Vincent held himself still by sheer force of will, counting seconds and heartbeats.

Genesis smiled when Sephiroth squeezed his eyes closed again within the tank, then blinked in confusion. _"Even if the morrow is barren of promises...nothing shall forestall my return. Welcome back, old friend,"_ he whispered. Genesis also counted seconds in that eternal, final waiting as his sword manifested in his hand, flame erupting along its blade and revealing the runes engraved there.

Nero's teeth ground together as his hands shot down to grab onto the dual guns holstered at his side. "Where is my brother?!" he snarled, venom dripping from each of the words as he pointed them at the redhead, moving closer to him to lead him closer to the wall behind him. "That was what we agreed on, that I would see my brother once more!"

"Oh, but I _have_ kept my word, Nero." Genesis taunted, drawing the other's attention fully upon himself as Cid collapsed again to the floor. The pilot's clones had not moved, and Genesis did not want Nero to have the opportunity to command them in this crucial, fragile moment. "You _will_ see your brother again…only it will be in the Lifestream. Did you truly believe I would allow the pair of you to be loosed upon the world again, if it was in my power to prevent it?"

Beyond Nero's shoulder, Genesis spared a fraction of his attention for the computer housing the Protomateria. It flickered, then flared one final time before disappearing entirely from its socket as if it had never existed.

Crimson eyes boiled with rage as he looked at the man that dared betray him the way he had. Black hair whiled through the air as he heard the noise from behind him, a seething growl escaping him as he watched the doors open to the cells. _"You will pay for this!"_ he howled in a shrill voice before he burst into the form a smoke and disappeared to another part of the room. His form reappeared on top of the tank, the dark swirls floating around him like a poisonous cloud that only mirrored that of the rage within him. He looked to the clones, barking out the order to attack just a moment before disappearing once more and reappearing above Genesis, dual guns blasting shots at the redhead he was intent on killing.

_**~Now!~**_ Chaos' voice boomed in his head, the mental echo of his voice still ringing as Vincent all but exploded from his confinement. In another instant, he was standing over Cid's prone form with Death Penalty once again in hand, the deafening sound of it reverberating from the walls of the lab as he gunned down the pilot's clones.

Genesis used the distraction to swing his own sword almost faster than the eye could follow, the force of his strike shattering Sephiroth's containment chamber and raining shards of it down around them. 

Cid flinched at the chaos going on around him. He just managed to raise an arm to cover his face as he heard the gunshots ringing through the air. He blinked and looked through just barely open eyes as he watched the clones of his drop to the ground as Vincent took them down with ease. A few snuck through though, a couple splitting off to try and go after Genesis while the others made an attempt at going at Vincent. The attempt was a weak one at that. They may have been able to clone him, however common sense was apparently not implanted into their minds.

He closed his eyes once more, trying to move a bit more towards Vincent for protection. "We gotta move," he rasped as he tried to push himself up. Not a moment after he spoke it, there was a sizzling pain that ripped through his shoulder, bringing forth a growl of pain from the pilot. Unknown to him, Nero had hovered overhead for a moment within the dark cloud, sending more shots through the air at the people responsible for this mess.

With a few more carefully aimed shots, he sent three more from each gun, one shot slicing a sharp gash through Cid's cheek a fragment, the other two merely ricocheted off the floor, missing Cid by inches thanks to Vincent hauling him up and out of the way of the bullets. The other three bullets made their way towards Genesis, one managing to clip him in the shoulder as well, the second one missing, the third hitting the man in the side and ripping through his gut. Even as fast at the SOLDIER was, with Vincent's DNA that had been inevitably passed on to him and had given him the natural talent to wield guns as if they were extensions of himself, even Nero was able to hit the other.

Cid cringed as he was set down, a hand coming up to hold the bullet wound that he had just received. If only he had his real spear on him, at least he could attempt to heal himself while Vincent tried to take down Nero. He looked through the room, quickly calculating what could be done. "Think ya can shove 'im in one o' those cells?" he asked, panting slightly where he perched. "Might hold 'im," he said as he leaned back against the wall, hoping the room would stop spinning soon.

"It's certainly worth a try," Vincent responded as he kept shooting, finally taking out the last of the clones in between and aiming in anticipation of where he expected Nero to manifest next.


	10. Chapter 10

_**~Vincent~**_ Chaos said, deliberately calling the gunman by name once more. _**Take your mate's hand and do as I tell you**_

Dumbfounded by his demon's statement _mate?_ Vincent nevertheless did as Chaos commanded. In a move blurred almost beyond human ability to follow, Vincent was at Cid's side and reaching out to grab the pilot's free hand in his gauntleted one. Vincent kept shooting with the other, trying to keep Nero from being effective against either Genesis or Sephiroth while his son was still vulnerable.

_**Tell the pilot to call his weapon to himself**_ Chaos commanded, and Vincent did so, his eyes flashing gold.

Cid blinked a few times as Vincent took his hand, eyebrow arching slightly....and then even more so at the order he’d been given. "Eh?" Cid gave a shake of his head, realizing then that this was an incredibly stupid thing to do when one was suffering from blood loss. The sensation made his head swim and, well look at that, the room was now upside down. "Ya want me ta call m' spear? What, like 'come forth Venus Gospel' or some kinda shit like that?"

Vincent didn’t have time to answer him except for a growled _“Yes!”_ as he attempted to keep himself between Nero and the downed pilot.

Genesis could feel splinters of bone embedded in his lungs and other shards perilously close to his heart, but he fought on in spite of it. Blood bubbled from his lips, weakening and slowing him, spurring his state of degradation into its final phase. In the space of only a few moments, Genesis aged a lifetime. For him, there would be no reprieve, but neither did he desire one anymore.

Yet another of Nero's bullets made it past his guard and slammed Genesis back against the wall, but what he and Vincent had done between them had bought enough time for Sephiroth to emerge from his tank. The former General appeared fully human now, with no evidence of Jenova's taint, but Genesis would do everything in his power to help even the odds.

What happened next however, even Genesis had not anticipated. The translucent shadow of huge, leathern wings emerged from Sephiroth's back, and his eyes flashed gold as he struck Nero from behind.

Genesis laughed at the irony of it, not caring that doing so was stealing his final breaths. He raised his cherished sword to his brow as he'd seen Angeal do so often in times past, knowing it would not be long now before he and the lover he'd mourned for so long were reunited. "For friendship…for honor," he whispered in final prayer to the Goddess. Then with the last of his strength, Genesis tossed the blade to Sephiroth and slid down the wall to slump at its base, leaving a wide smear of red behind. 

Sephiroth caught the sword tossed to him, its grip settling as easily into his hand as he had once held Masamune. He cast a longing glance to Genesis, wishing for only a moment's time to tell his friend that he understood before Nero recovered and attacked again. 

"What else can I do, but avenge you?" Sephiroth asked, the pain of knowing he and Genesis had only this instant in time before they were parted again almost choking him. But Sephiroth knew Genesis had heard when the other looked away from whatever it was that only he could see, turning that generous, glorious smile upon him. It was a smile such as Sephiroth had not witnessed gracing his friend's face in years…not since before they had become enemies. 

"I shall trust you for it," Genesis replied, "I need nothing more." Already he could see tiny green sparks lifting and flowing from his extremities, and he watched them with eyes widened in wonder until ever fading consciousness made his eyelids heavy and he let them drift closed. The battle and its combatants were far away now, as something vaguely recalled within a dream, and then Genesis felt the touch of a familiar hand upon his shoulder and forced his eyes open to behold Angeal's beloved face smiling down at him.

With no time to grieve, Sephiroth spun to face Nero, battle-rage rising within him. On the edge of his vision, sparks of Lifestream swirled, claiming Genesis…but when he glanced back one last time, outlined within that glory were _two_ figures. For an instant, Angeal held Genesis close against his side, both of their faces reflecting a peace and contentment they had never truly known in life. Angeal smiled and gave Sephiroth a single nod, conveying silently everything there was no time to say…and then they were gone.

Nero darted around the room, air pressure flexing slightly whenever he appeared then disappeared. He growled as he felt a bullet tear through his arm and he began to fire at the redhead once more, eyes locking onto the gunman. "Damn you all!" Another flex of venomous smoke swirled in the air before disappearing once more and Nero reappeared in another place, taking a shot at the now-mobile Sephiroth, unfortunately missing as the silver haired man darted out of the way.

Cid huffed then ducked as another bullet ricocheted off the wall beside him. "FUCK OFF YA PRICK! I AIN'T DONE SHIT TA YA!" And that only made the dizziness worse. "Fuck my life. Now where's a damn spear I can use so I can kill that bastard?" he grumbled pitifully as he slumped against the wall. He wasn't sure _why_ he had to call his spear to him but Vincent...or Chaos, whoever it was at the time had sounded adamant that calling for his weapon would do them any good. A moment later after the thought had went through the pilot's mind, there was a loud smash followed by a ringing of metal as the doors to the room blasted open, a large silver streak darting through the room and smashing into the floor in front of him. Cid blinked then stared with a mix of horror and utter confusion as he saw none other than the Venus Gospel speared into the cement floor, not inches from his feet.

According to what Cloud had once told Vincent about Sephiroth's ability to call forth his weapon at will, -not to mention the evidence of his own experience in having _seen_ it happen- Vincent couldn't say he was truly surprised when the Venus Gospel clipped the edge of his cloak in passing.

Cid brought up a hand and roughly rubbed at his eyes before looking at the item once more. "Ok...seein' shit now...my fuckin spear somehow learned how ta fly an' is in front o' me," he said as he stared at the weapon. He stuck out a foot and poked at the weapon with his boot. "Heh...well holy shit." He reached forwards with his good hand and yanked the weapon free from the splintered cement and looked at it. "Think it'll work if I say 'come forth cigarettes?" he mused, the Highwind smirk managing to pull across his paled face.  
"Ok, I'm good now," Cid said as he waved a hand at Vincent. "Go get 'im," he said as he let the cure materia flare within the weapon and heal his wounds. "I'll come help ya when I'm good."

At the pilot's comment, Vincent and Chaos snorted in unison and released Cid’s hand, but Vincent could not have wished for a better indication that Cid would indeed be alright. Still, the area they were in was small enough to allow Vincent to keep an eye on Cid until he was fully back in the game and still have enough focus to deal with Nero.

Nero was about to take another shot at the once-dead SOLDIER, but then he froze as he saw the strange wings protruding from Sephiroth’s back. "But those are-" Nero gasped as he was smashed into the ground, not even realizing how long he had been frozen as he looked at the wings that belonged to the demon he had seen in the past.

Nero cringed as he picked himself up from the floor, using the handle of the containment cell to help lift himself up. "You will all pay," he growled through clenched teeth.

Vincent reached within, calling Chaos to manifest, but…nothing happened.

_**~I am sorry, Vincent~**_ Chaos' weary voice replied from deep within his mind. _**~I cannot help you now.~**_

There was no time to ask why, but if they all managed to survive this…Vincent called upon Hellmasker, and it was then he realized that aside from himself and Chaos, there was no one left to answer. The shock of it was almost enough to allow Nero past his guard, but Vincent flashed aside and shooting at the same time, scored a solid hit on Nero's arm, costing his enemy a few precious seconds as the other was forced to alter his initial trajectory and then was distracted by Sephiroth's changed appearance.

Sephiroth raised Genesis' sword and with a feral snarl, launched himself to complete the vengeance he had promised.

Nero snarled as he felt the sharp teeth of the sword slice through his arm and grate at the metal of the bars and wiring in his wings. Sparks and sputters of electricity burst from the broken mechanism and the being of darkness soon relocated to another area inside the room. He growled as he looked to the injury, noting the mako that poured out of the strips built into the clothing. The ever-needed fluid that kept his body in control from exploding into the very darkness that killed his mother. "You have no idea what you have done," he growled through clenched teeth.

Nero let out a short huff of a laugh. "I suppose...if I am to die, I might as well take you all with me..." The dark cloud that normally hovered around Nero began to seep and bubble from the cut in his arm. The amaranthine and onyx wisps swarmed even thicker around him, deathly moans seeming to emit from that of the cloud.

Cid looked up as he saw the growing cloud around Vincent's look-alike, shivering slightly at the noise that came from it. "Well that ain't good," he grumbled as he let the cure do its work. He groaned as he felt bones clicking back into places and tendons wrapping around them and muscles knitting back together. "Come on," he growled as he waited for the injuries to be healed completely.

"You will never take me," came a demonic growl from the Tsviet. He raised the guns in both of his hands, the dark wisps wrapping around his arm and covering the arm completely. Even the bullets from the darkness-covered gun seemed to transform. The places that the bullets struck seemed to sizzle and melt away, leaving small craters in the areas once the onyx clouds dissipated.

Cid stared in horror as he watched chaos ensue throughout the room. "Ok, _really_ not good." He gave up the healing power for the time being to get up. His leg would be good enough now. Cid ran through the room towards the containment chamber Vincent had been held captive in. He grabbed the door and pulled it all the way open. Cid hoped the plan worked, as little of a plan as it was, for that matter. He leaned against the wall of glass behind him, using the door as a guard to his one side. "Alright, get 'im boys," he muttered under his breath as he looked around, making sure to keep Nero in sight as best as he could.

_**~Hear Me~**_ A voice said inside Sephiroth's mind, startling him enough to almost make him drop his guard. Then it occurred to him that the dread and horror of having his mind once again invaded was not present- _this_ being was male…and held nothing of Jenova's evil taint. If anything, Sephiroth recognized the presence as one the Planet's Guardians… whose essence he had felt while immersed for so long within the Lifestream. And then it occurred to him that this Being was wrapped around him as a cocoon, lending him not only strength, but power. The shadowy wings Sephiroth felt sprouting from his back were not the hated mutation of Hojo's manipulation, but instead felt as natural to him as if they were his own. 

"Who are you?" Sephiroth asked aloud, and from the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw Vincent smile, but it was the sharp grin from the man who held the spear that confirmed they were well aware of what was happening inside him.

_**~I am Vengeance~**_ the deep, resonant voice replied. _**~This is all you need know, for we have not the time to speak of it~**_

Part of Sephiroth's attention focused upon his allies subtly flanking their mutual enemy, working in deadly unison and wolfpacking Nero as Sephiroth and Chaos moved more quickly than the eye could properly follow, driving Nero steadily backward toward the door of the containment tank the blond man had opened only moments before. _**~Yes~**_ Chaos spoke into Sephiroth's thoughts, showing him the meaning of the symbols etched there. _**~This is what we must do. Be wary~**_

A demonic-like roar ripped from the Tsviet's mouth as he was shoved towards the cell, metal wings clamping onto the sides of the door to keep from getting shoved inside the containment cell. _"I WILL NOT BE ERASED!"_


	11. Chapter 11

Cid looked through the thick glass that he had shielded himself behind, watching Vincent's twin and son fighting against one another to gain control. Blue eyes flickered upwards to the one working wing that was hooked over the top of the cell that kept Sephiroth from pushing the Tsviet inside it. "That's what you think." Cid spun his spear and arced it upwards, slamming the blade into the hinge of the elbow on the wing. He cringed at the high-pitched screech of air that rushed out of the air lines within the metal, causing the hydraulics to lose control.

Nero's gasped when his body jolted backwards as the second wing gave way. _"DAMN YOU!"_ he snarled.

Cid blinked as he watched dark swirls shimmer and flicker out of the Tsviet's arm, as if it was preparing to try and escape the cell itself. "Seph, get outta there!" he called from behind the door. The second that the silver-haired man jumped back from the cell, Cid slammed his body against the door to shut the machine, thanking the Goddess that the wings weren't in the way of shutting the door, and he quickly locked it before backing up a few steps.

_"NOOO!!"_ Nero slammed his fists against the glass walls, flinching at the symbols that started to glow around him. "No…" he spoke in a choked, broken tone as he looked around for an escape. He knew it was futile; he had built the thing himself, after all. This felt like he was back in the basement of ShinRa all over again. He closed his eyes as his head hung down. "Weiss...I'm sorry...I failed you..."

Cid stopped as he looked at the DeepGround soldier. "Vince...where's yer fire materia?" His voice sounded oddly steady as he looked at the man fighting the sigils etched into the glass, though there was an undertone of despair in it. This Nero, he was hellbent on doing and destroying all that he could in order to get his brother back, not seeming to care who got caught in the crossfire. Even though there was a small portion, a very small portion, that felt sympathy for Nero wanting his brother back, for everything that he had done he had to be stopped. Yet...that face...this soldier was made from Vincent. In that aspect, this was a part of Vincent trapped inside the cell.

Vincent could only stare at the grim expression on Cid’s face as he reached into his cloak and handed over the materia the pilot had requested, part of him worried about Cid having such a burden on his conscience. 

Once again, Chaos interrupted Vincent’s thoughts. _**~This is something he must do, as was what you did in Deepground~**_

Knowing what Chaos said was nothing less than the truth, Vincent gave Cid a single nod of silent support and went to stand beside Sephiroth.

Cid took hold of the materia passed to him and looked at it for a few long moments then slowly socketed the item in the port where the Protomateria had once set. He looked to Nero, brows furrowed in regret for what he was about to do. "Sorry...but no one fucks with Vince like ya did," he spoke more to himself than anything. Cid flipped the switches on the control board, allowing the magic from the stone to be sucked into the containment chamber.

Nero's body jolted inside the tank as he felt a flare of pain travel through his body. "What's happ-" Red eyes widened as he looked at his hand and arm, watching the skin bubble and sizzle in random places then split open, like watching paper being burned away in the middle of the page. _"No, you can't, you can't do this! NOOOO!"_ he screamed as tongues of flame began to fill the cell, swirling and licking at the plates of glass as it wrapped around the Tsviet, burning away anything it could.

Azure eyes watched with a mix of emotions as Nero’s body was burned away by the inferno inside the cell. The last thing Cid saw within the flames was a burning hand scraping at the glass and a face far too similar to that of the red-eyed gunman he knew and loved being engulfed in the flames. Cid didn't even think twice about how odd the thought was at the time, and how he'd inwardly admitted to himself that he loved Vincent, just watched as the flames completely filled the cell, the screams of the Tsviet soon dying out. 

Once the materia dissolved in the port it had been set into, the crimson flames dissipated inside the glass chamber. All that was left behind were the twisted and charred metal wings that lay in numerous pieces along the floor of it. 

Cid sighed as he leaned against the control board, looking at the hollow cell in the middle of the room. "Well...guess that's done...." He reached up to pat his shirt pocket then groaned, looking drained and partly defeated. "I need a fuckin' smoke..."

"Would anyone care to explain to me what just happened here?" Sephiroth asked lowly when it was done and the pilot had walked away. Sephiroth’s eyes were on Genesis' sword as he twisted its grip in his hands. The agony of that loss was still too near, as was the experience of having been essentially snatched from the Lifestream to find himself where he was now. The fleeting moments with Genesis and then Angeal reopened old wounds, even though he had spoken with Angeal in the alternate plane of their existence only recently. Perhaps that was why Angeal had evaded his questions, for Sephiroth knew his friend could speak with Genesis in the same manner Cloud communicated with Zack. It was all too confusing. With Nero's destruction, the greater portion of the presence he had felt within faded also, though the Being's voice remained. He listened for it, but Chaos was silent. 

"The answers you seek may be closer than you think," Vincent replied as he reached into some inner fold of his cloak and from a hidden pocket withdrew a pack of cigarettes, which he tossed to the pilot.   
Cid, as if he had anticipated it, snapped the package of cigarettes from the air as it flew at him, as easily as he caught it.

Vincent then moved toward the control console which had channeled the materia. "A prototype for this device was in the ruins of Deepground," the gunman told Sephiroth. "I destroyed it there, but I should have realized…" Vincent curtailed his thought abruptly, choosing to continue in a different vein. "Suffice it to say, Hojo was notorious for his creativity in hiding his notes." Running the fingers of his human hand along the lower edge of the console, Vincent located a hidden release and pressed it, causing a panel to slide open. He reached within the small space it concealed and withdrew a thin, worn book…a volume Sephiroth immediately recognized. It was the copy of Loveless that had never before left Genesis' possession. Vincent brought it to Sephiroth and gave it into his keeping. "I believe he would have wanted you to have this," the gunman said quietly, and moved away to give his son privacy.  
Sephiroth laid his friend’s sword aside on a countertop and opened Genesis' book. As his eyes followed the familiar words there, he could almost hear Genesis’ voice reciting them, as he had done so many times in the past. When he reached the final page, there was a letter penned inside the back cover in Genesis' elegant hand, along with a photograph of himself, Genesis and Angeal together. Sephiroth remembered the occasion- they had been celebrating Angeal's birthday, and all three of them were smiling for the camera. Sephiroth touched the border of it reverently before looking to the message accompanying it. 

_Sephiroth~_

_It is my deepest desire that you recover these words from their hiding place, and if not, that another shall deliver them into your hand._

_Legend shall speak of sacrifice at world’s end:  
The wind sails over the water’s surface quietly, but surely._

_If it is indeed so, the penance with which the Goddess has charged me is truly just and fulfilled at last, and therein there is no hate, only joy…for you are beloved of the Goddess._

_There will be much you do not understand, but there are those who will be able to provide the explanations you seek. I hope someday for your forgiveness, and that you will remember me with some small fondness for the friendship we once shared; a treasure I cast so thoughtlessly away._

_I can only offer my deepest apology for the suffering endured in my quest to deprive the Tsviet known as Nero of the fruit of his relentless obsession, and in thwarting him, to spare the planet and its inhabitants the horror he would have willfully unleashed._

_As for yourself, I bequeath to you perhaps the only thing left to me which may secure your peace of mind and full freedom from the past- the truth that Hojo was never your father as he claimed to be. If not for this same truth, your presence here today would not have been possible. Seek your answers of the one known as Vincent Valentine, for it is certain the both of you will have much to speak of to one another. It is he to whom you must look for the tale of your origins. Ask him also of Chaos, for He is the key to all._

_Live well, my friend…and if I may be so bold, I advise you to grasp the courage for which you are so justly renowned and to follow your heart where it will undoubtedly lead you._

_Know this, also…the ones your tormentor compelled you to accuse of betrayal were labeled unfairly, and ever the enemy of that which bound you. My Angeal is not alone in waiting overlong, and whose forgiveness needed only be sought to have been willingly granted._

_I have only one desire remaining…that the Goddess, in her infinite mercy, shall allow me to always watch over you._

_Until we meet again,_

_~Genesis Rhapsodos~_

 

The final words blurred before his eyes as Sephiroth read them, and he held the book open in his hands for a long while.

When the silence had stretched for several moments, Sephiroth at last took up Genesis' sword before turning to face his companions. He then crossed the short distance separating them and handed Vincent both sword and book. "I'll…be outside," he murmured. "Call for me when you are ready to leave this place."


	12. Chapter 12

Azure eyes shifted to look over to the naked man in the room and Cid turned his gaze away quickly and cleared his throat. "Ya know yer son's kinda walking around naked, right?" he spoke in a hushed voice. "That's a little bit of a...ok, well he ain't _little_ but-OW!" Cid raised a hand to nurse the sore spot on the back of his head where Vincent's hand had cracked against his skull. He was thankful that Vincent hadn't struck him with the gauntlet, but even so he was surprised his eyes didn't slingshot out of his head from for the force of it.

“The more you talk, the deeper the hole you’re digging for yourself becomes.” Vincent leveled a mock glare at Cid, his lips quirked in feigned annoyance. He recognized his friend’s attempt to lighten their situation with his offbeat sense of humor, as he had done so many times before.

"Sorry, just it's kinda..., ya know... _out_ there..." Cid shook his head. It was still hard to believe that the Sephiroth they had all known and fought so many years ago was now back in the world of the living and seemingly... _normal._ Cid wanted to ask how that was possible. Then again...after the things that he seen, he had learned that nearly anything was possible. That and the fact that he would not be able to properly string thoughts together without having a cigarette or five first before delving into such deep thought.

They may as well have not spoken, for all the attention Sephiroth paid them. He simply kept walking, putting one foot in front of the other until he was through the door of the lab and lost from their sight. 

Vincent watched the door where Sephiroth had departed, Genesis’ book momentarily forgotten in his hand as he attempted to assimilate everything that had happened. 

Vincent studied Cid from the corner of his eye; his friend seemed to be recovering reasonably well from their recent ordeal, or else he was faking it very well indeed. Cid was not a vengeful person by nature, and yet what he had done in the final 'disposal' of Nero could be deemed murderous in intent, regardless of the Tsviet's own determination to kill all of them when he realized what Genesis had done. And so Vincent waited for the pilot to speak, wondering again about a side of his friend he had never witnessed before.  
“Why did it have to come to this?” Vincent mused aloud, not really expecting an answer. Yet Cid always seemed to understand his intent, however inadequate Vincent’s attempts to vocally frame his thoughts.

"Ya didn't know, Vin. Hojo was a slippery fuck... Don't start blamin' yerself fer not lookin' fer somethin' ya didn't know was there." Cid opened the pack of cigarettes and pulled one out with his teeth, his other hand flicking the lighter to life and lighting the end. He took a deep drag then sighed heavily through his nostrils. _Yes, now that's what he needed..._

Vincent was a long while in answering. "How easily you absolve me," he said at last, thinking of all that Cid had done for him not only here, but in the past…never asking anything of him in return.

Cid made a quick side glance at the gunman. "Ain't absolvin' ya of nothin', Vince. Just tellin' ya how it is." Oh, he knew that was how the silent gunslinger could be and how he would blame himself for things that were out of his power, even if he was in no way connected to the situation whatsoever, he was sure the guilt-driven man would find a way to blame himself. Granted it was something he wanted to beat out of him from time to time, but that was just who Vincent was, and he couldn't bring himself to belittle the man for being himself. Instead, Cid could only try to reason with him and tell him otherwise and to not be so hard upon himself.  
Cid tucked away the items in his pockets once more, eyes fixated on the containment chamber where thin swirls of smoke still danced within the glass The pilot shifted on his feet and carefully settled down to the floor with a rumble of a groan accompanying it. "I'm gettin' too old fer this shit," he spoke more to himself than anyone. A quiet thunk was heard as Cid's head fell back against the control until behind him. He inhaled another drag then exhaled the smoke after a moment with a long sigh. Cid looked over to Vincent then continued on to say, "Sorry 'bout yer materia. I'll track ya down another one." 

Vincent risked a glance aside, noting the pilot's expression of quiet, patient attentiveness, as if Cid would wait until the planet crumbled to dust for Vincent to speak and count the time well spent. "The materia is of no consequence, my friend. There are more where that one came from." Vincent crossed back to where Cid was sitting and lowered himself to the floor to sit with his back against the computer console where he had found the book.

Cid took another drag off the cigarette and waved a hand at his friend. "Ah...even so, weren't mine. So I'll get one back to ya." He wasn't exactly happy with himself that he had used it all up in the first place or that Vincent had to witness that. However, with his reasoning in mind, it was something he had to do. A heavy sigh escaped the pilot, swirls of smoke drifting from his nostrils and into the air. "Yeah...sorry ya had ta see that an' all...but...hey, bright side, got yer son back," he said with a small smile. Cid knew that for himself, it would take a few times of seeing the silver-haired man to realize that he wasn't the cold-hearted and blood-thirsty SOLDIER they had once fought against. Only thing he feared right now was for the reaction Sephiroth would get when people saw him once more and what that would do to him. He wasn't sure how to go about it, but Cid would do what he could to help,

Cid looked over the gunman with tired eyes, studying his beloved friend, just to make sure that he was alright. Physically, he looked fine but that didn't mean there was a whirlwind of torment and grief whirling behind those ruby eyes of his. "Doin' ok over there?"

Vincent offered a tiny smile, the faintest curve of lip and crinkle of jeweled eyes, because what they had been through together deserved acknowledgment. It was little enough to offer in the face of Cid's staunch friendship. For the hundredth time, he wondered what he had ever done to deserve such loyalty. "I am…not certain," he replied simply. “Chaos is…” Vincent drew his left leg up, resting his gauntleted arm upon the bent knee, waiting for Chaos to offer an explanation for what had occurred. Whatever the demon had done, Vincent could not help but feel it had exacted a terrible price.

 

_**~You are beyond doubt the most obtuse creature I have ever encountered~** Chaos said abruptly. _**~Can you truly not see what is before your very eyes?~**_ the demon scoffed impatiently, seeming to ignore Vincent’s concern for the being’s welfare. _

_“Chaos?”_ Startled, Vincent answered aloud. In Chaos' statement was something he had not truly allowed himself to think too closely upon, unless he was proven wrong and seeing something in Cid that was only his own private, wishful thinking. 

His internal companion’s voice was greatly weakened, but there was great satisfaction in his tone, nonetheless. Still, he was there…and that in itself was a drenching of cold relief through Vincent's entire being. _Chaos, what have you done?!!_ The gunman's eyes flashed gold, but dimly. It was then that Vincent realized how truly weakened the demon was, and how it seemed that Chaos was diminished, not as fully present as he had once been. Vincent deliberately withdrew his own awareness from his surroundings just far enough to allow the demon to speak. 

_**~Only what was necessary~**_ Chaos replied aloud, with Vincent's voice. 

Cid's brow crinkled with worry when he saw what he interpreted as panic on Vincent's pale features. Cid lowered his cigarette and shifted along the floor to sit closer to him, glancing at his features a bit more. It was as if Vincent was in a trance. "Vince?" He blinked when Vincent spoke Chaos's name and saw the brief flash of gold. Cid had seen it before upon occasion, when Vincent stood by himself and just stared out into space for what seemed like hours. A blond brow raised when the last words were spoken and sat motionless for a moment. A hand was raised and he waved it in front of Vincent's face, "Oi...havin' a demon pow wow in there er somethin'?" he asked in a tone mixed with curiosity and concern. _What_ was necessary? What had Vincent been talking about? 

Cid studied Vincent's eyes, noting the small signals being given off within them. The way the pupils would constrict or dilate, the way the skin would twitch and pull at the corners of his eyes when he was trying to decipher something. The signals were small, very small, but they were there. Something was troubling him. "Ya sure yer ok?" he asked as he pressed the back of his hand against Vincent's cheek then pulled it away, trying to see if the man had a fever. Then again with all the layers of leather and linen that he wore, of course he would feel warm so it was hard to gauge things like that. "Yer lookin' a bit whiter than normal there," he said, not even noticing that the cigarette was burning away in his hand, having forgotten about it while he paid attention to the gunslinger. 

Vincent knew Cid was speaking, but with his consciousness overlaid with that of Chaos and the racing of his own thoughts as he at last understood what the demon was trying to tell him, it seemed as if the pilot's voice came from far away. A simple, apologetic nod to Cid was all Vincent could manage with his attention so divided, but he focused upon resting his human hand on the pilot's forearm, gripping it tightly to ground himself in his friend's solid presence as his thoughts turned inward again.

Cid looked to the hand that was gripping his arm, concern-filled azure eyes shifting to Vincent’s crimson ones. It looked like...Vincent wasn't even really there at the moment. Like he was in limbo. Cid dropped the nearly-spent cigarette onto the cold concrete beneath them and raised his hand to wrap around that of Vincent's. "Ya sure?" He noted the nod that came from Vincent and chose to just sit back and wait for Vincent to speak when he felt ready to.

From all the experiments done upon himself by Hojo and what Vincent could remember from so many years before of Grimoire's scientific methods and Nero's ultimate plan, all the pieces finally fell into place. "You channeled yourself through the Protomateria to overwrite the DNA sequence and manifest Sephiroth rather than Weiss," Vincent stated aloud for Cid's benefit, his voice firm with conviction as he answered Chaos. "and then you recalled him from the Lifestream…stripped of Jenova's influence." 

"I...wait, who?" Cid asked. It took a moment for the words to absorb when he realized it wasn't actually Vincent that he’d been talking to the moment before, but to his winged counterpart. "He...can do that?" Cid asked, bewildered by the statement. He knew that Chaos was one of the oldest creatures on the planet and had many powers that he couldn't even fathom, yet that had not been something Cid imagined the demon could do. It was...astounding to say the least. 

_**~I am what I was created to be~**_ Chaos replied almost fondly. _**~Guardian and Protector… so do not be concerned for the Host's son, Consort. I shall be his defender, should he have need of one. It was I, not Omega, who was created to be the Planet's greatest Weapon. Only if I failed was Omega to fulfill his purpose. Weiss would have resurrected Hojo…and Hojo would have recreated Omega. Controlled by Hojo, Omega would then have been compelled to search out what few fragments of Jenova remain and the cycle would have begun anew.~**_ Having spoken, Chaos retreated to a deeper layer of Vincent's consciousness, allowing the gunman to focus on his surroundings once more. 

Vincent blinked down at where their two hands were joined, and glanced to Cid, wondering when the pilot had moved closer. Then the full import of what Chaos had said earlier registered and if he could have blushed, Vincent knew his face would have been flaming red. 

_Chaos?_ Vincent asked to cover his confusion, but the demon only responded with an impression of smug satisfaction and otherwise did not reply. 

Almost of their own accord, Vincent's fingers curled around Cid's hand. It felt…nice, he decided. Then as he sifted through what had been said both to himself and through him, so many things he had willfully ignored or misunderstood in the past suddenly fell into place. 

"I…am well enough," Vincent replied at last, to Cid’s initial question. When he received a disbelieving snort from Cid, the gunman drew a deep, steadying breath and released it slowly before he spoke again. "Chaos is…no longer fully with me. Hellmasker and Gigas are not present at all anymore…only Galian truly remains. Apparently Chaos either released or destroyed the Others in the process of what he did. It will… require some adjustment." 

Vincent shook his head in apology, knowing Cid was trying to assimilate what Chaos had said while still fighting off the remains of his drugged state. The difficulty of holding a three-way conversation with Chaos was bad enough when everyone was at their best, and almost guaranteed to generate a bender of a headache in the aftermath. 


	13. Chapter 13

Cid shifted to sit beside the gunslinger a bit better, one leg folded underneath the bent other. He almost did a double take when he’d heard the response from Vincent, but realized it was Chaos speaking through the gunman once more. It had not been often that he had heard this, so it was a bit of an adjustment to figure out which was Vincent when he actually spoke. "Well o' course I'm gonna be concerned," he said, then blinked. _Consort? But that meant a...partner or a lover..._ Cid mentally shook his head. Where the hell had that come from?! How could Chaos have known that...that _he_ had those thoughts and feelings for Vincent? It's not like Vincent had those feelings for him, right? That was just...ridiculous.....wasn't it?

"He…in the past," Vincent forced himself to say, taking control of his own voice once again, "Chaos has communicated impressions of what another was thinking, but only when circumstances were dire…" Vincent's voice trailed away as he continued to stare down at their joined hands, fully conscious for the first time of the fact that Cid was waiting patiently for him to speak again.

Cid…who was never patient with anyone or anything, was waiting for _him._ When Vincent thought about it, he realized it had always been so, even from their first meeting. How had he ever missed the significance of that solid, comforting presence at his back? It was humbling, and so very different from anything he had known before. Even with Lucrecia so many years before, there was always a sense of her attention being divided…her mind mostly elsewhere. In retrospect it made sense, but why had she not told him about _Sephiroth?_ She was a scientist…surely she had known.

Vincent forced his thoughts from following that path, taking a deep breath. What mattered was _here_ …and _now._ He raised his head, and for the first time, looked fully into Cid's eyes, acknowledging what he saw there.

"A-alright, Chaos. Jus'...take care o' yerself...and his son," Cid told the demon through Vincent as he watched the man's eyes. He was sure that he had seen correctly, but he thought there was just a faint flicker of gold in the center of red before the gunman blinked and looked back to him.  
The pilot pursed his lips and looked just past the gunslinger's shoulder and then back to Vincent. "Sorry. Know ya weren't too happy with them demons ta begin with but...sucks ass ta know ya have ta adjust again..." He looked to the hand that still had his arm in a tight grip and pat the gloved hand with his that had been wrapped around it. "I'll help ya where I can. Don't know how but...I can try," he spoke in a supportive tone.

 

Vincent smiled, feeling the weight of years fall away. All through their traveling, the battles and hardships and the times between…Cid had always been there, quietly waiting, giving Vincent room to heal and asking nothing in of him in return. The gunman felt his throat tighten, but he was determined to answer the question he saw in those eyes. "Cid… I…I don't understand why you would…but I can try," he said, echoing the pilot's words of moments before.  
Cid looked to the containment cell off to the side, snorting pitifully then back to his hand on Vincent's, as if afraid to let the man pull his hand out of his own. "Some day, huh? My ship's a wreck. I got....dead body doubles all over the goddamned place," he said as he quickly glanced back to look at the clones laying around before returning his attention back to Vincent. "You got yer son back, and yer missin' two outta yer four demons...I say we hit the bottle nice and hard tonight." He let out a soft chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood a bit then looked back to the cell once more. "At least that nut job's gone...kinda feel for the guy just wantin' his brother back an' all, but...that ain't the way ta go about it..."

The pilot released a heavy, exasperated sigh as he looked around the room. "Well...think we should get our asses outta here? Reckon ya got someone out there that could use some company." Cid wondered how Sephiroth was holding up, for that matter.

 

"Have you forgotten already?" Vincent teased gently. "Nero and Genesis did not _walk_ here. Certainly a man of your talents can find something to salvage, even with the damage you inflicted." Using their joined hands to pull Cid to his feet as he glanced around at the scattered clones, Vincent continued. "Let us give these unfortunate ones what little we may. Certainly there is a Fire materia around somewhere…" What he did not say, but knew Cid would agree, was that there would be nothing left of any of this place but ashes when they were done. The gunman paused and cocked his head as if listening, his expression softening to reflect the ephemeral tie with his son through Chaos' connection. "…and then we shall seek Sephiroth. When we have finished here, I think we will all be more than ready for that drink."

~*~*~*~

Sephiroth paused before the final door leading outside the warehouse, bracing himself for the memory of the wasteland beyond it, one he picked up from Chaos seeing through Vincent’s eyes. He’d deliberately never come here, after ShinRa firebombed the village. Taking a deep breath, Sephiroth released it in a sigh before stepping through, his eyes downcast to the ground at his feet. The presence within him urged him wordlessly onward, however. For a moment he resisted, but the need to keep going overcame even the need to explore the strange new aspect of his being that was Chaos, and Sephiroth moved forward as if in a dream upon a path he had not trodden since childhood.

What met his senses was not the lingering smell of long-dead fires and scorched earth Sephiroth had expected, however. Instead there was the scent of ancient apple trees both in full bloom and laden with fruit. He raised his head slowly in wonderment, feeling the warmth of a summer sun shining down from a clear, cloudless sky upon an orchard stretching as far as the eye could see. The only structure within that sacred grove was a simple cottage surrounded by a profusion of flowers, where two women knelt tending them. 

Both were known to him. One's kindness would never be forgotten…the simple farmstead kitchen and the welcome of that humble house where Angeal had once lived was a memory Sephiroth closely guarded for the treasure it was. Gillian looked up as he paused in his approach, smiling as if she had expected to see him there. Beside her was a younger woman, one dressed in pink, a heavy braid of chestnut hair tumbled across her shoulder.  
She too looked up and her smile was no less welcoming than that of Gillian. In her eyes was understanding, and something Sephiroth had never expected to see…forgiveness.

"You'll want to follow the path to your left," Aerith called out to him, laughter in her voice. "They're expecting you."

 

Sephiroth could not have disobeyed that gentle command even if he had tried, and he found himself hurrying to follow her directions with almost undignified haste.

When he rounded the last curve of the path leading away beneath trees laden with both bloom and fruit, Sephiroth stopped. Further down the gentle slope, two stood in profile in the dappled shade cast by the branches above. Angeal's back was pressed against the curved trunks of two intertwined trees, his arms and a white wing curved around a familiar shape and his cheek resting against the cinnamon-colored hair of his companion. Genesis leaned into that embrace with his head upon Angeal's shoulder, his eyes closed and his face graced with a smile of contentment, a single black wing embracing Angeal in turn.

A voice spoke from above and behind Sephiroth, startling him. "Sappy, aren't they?"

Sephiroth whirled around to face the source of that voice and found Zack sitting upon a broad branch just above his head, swinging his legs and grinning.

Sephiroth could not find his voice to answer Zack. He simply stood, blinking rapidly and thinking of all the things he needed to say, to ask.

Zack's grin softened to an understanding smile. "Hey, now…none of that. We didn't bring you here to make you sad."

"Then why _am_ I here?" Sephiroth asked at last, the full weight of memory making his eyes burn and his throat tighten almost beyond his ability to speak. "I don't deserve…"

"Sure you do," Zack interrupted, swinging down with effortless grace from the branch to stand before him. "…and that's _exactly_ why you're here…to let you know we'll be waiting. You can't be here yet…there's still stuff you gotta do first."

Sephiroth could not begin to imagine the world that waited for him beyond this place. "Like _what?"_ he asked after a long pause. "There is no one…and after what I did to you…and to…" Sephiroth left the rest of the sentence unfinished, unable to continue.

"Cloud? And Aerith? It’s okay to say their names, Seph." Zack grinned again. "And to answer your question, all kinds of things. You just haven't been paying attention." When Sephiroth would have objected, Zack interrupted him gently. "I never blamed you for any of what happened, Seph…and neither does Aerith." Zack sobered, his voice and his expression softening. "If anything, I blame myself. I wasn't paying close enough attention, either…and I said something unforgivable when you needed me to tell you what I've always known. You were _never_ a monster. The only monster was Hojo…but you're never going to have to dread the thought of him doing anything again." Zack said with undeniable certainty. "He doesn't exist anymore. The planet saw to that. What Hojo was is scattered so far and wide there won't ever be a chance of him coming back."

"What of…" Sephiroth immediately countered. 

"Who, Jenova?" Zack obviously had no qualms about speaking the name, despite Sephiroth's obvious reluctance. If anything, his grin widened to an unholy degree and he couldn't resist bouncing a little, as he had done so often in years past. The sight of it was enough to make Sephiroth's eyes burn and gloss with repressed emotion. "Ask your hitchhiker," Zack continued irreverently, almost chortling. "Chaos doesn't just smack…he _vaporizes_ a bitch.

"Language, Puppy." Angeal said from where he had not been an instant before, cuffing Zack lightly on the back of his head, his eyes sparkling with humor. Beside Angeal, Genesis turned slightly away as he snorted and rolled his eyes, but not before Sephiroth saw the smile he was trying to suppress.

They were just as Sephiroth remembered them…in the good days. How would he bear leaving them behind again, even knowing that one day they would be reunited? There was so much that needed to be said between them...and time, in this place, Sephiroth knew was passing swiftly.

 

"Angeal…Genesis. I…" Sephiroth began.

"Seph." It was Genesis who spoke, smiling and startling Sephiroth with the nickname- one that he had never used before. "We have all the time in the world." 

"Yeah," Zack added, grinning again. "If it helps, think of us as some demented kind of Summons. You call us, we're gonna be there."

"Not the definition I would have chosen," Angeal added dryly, "but close enough." His eyes upon Sephiroth were clear and kind, the fondness and brotherly affection he had always felt for the youngest of their trio shining there as if no time at all had passed between. "You will never again walk alone." The fullness of Angeal's honor was in his promise, and Sephiroth reached out to him, clasping his friend's arm firmly with a gloved hand. Sephiroth frowned, at last looking down at himself and wondering where his clothing came from…and why he wasn't wearing his old uniform. Instead, he wore the plain, durable charcoal fatigues signifying First Class that he’d loved so much in times past, before ShinRa decided to remold his public image.

_Now_ he notices," Zack laughed outright. "Couldn't have you giving the ladies nosebleeds, Seph."

"The uniform has nothing to do with ShinRa, Seph." Angeal interjected. "…and everything to do with how you still think of yourself…but there's time enough for that, too. For now, there are other things to think about."

"Yeah…there are. Tell Spiky hello for me, would you?" Zack asked, his tone as gentle as Angeal’s had been, yet there was a telltale, mischievous quirk to his lips. "And tell him I said to go for it."

"Go for what?" Sephiroth asked, puzzled, certain he’d missed part of the conversation. 

Zack winked. "He'll know what I meant, don't worry." With that, Zack stepped close and gave Sephiroth one of his 'Angeal hugs' as Sephiroth had always thought of them. Only when his ribs creaked did the younger man let go.

"Go with the Goddess, old friend," Genesis said, clasping Sephiroth's forearm in a warrior's grip and smiling fondly. “Remember, we won here today…but you are not yet done."


	14. Chapter 14

There was a soft groan as Cid was helped up to his feet. He reluctantly let go of the gunslinger's hand as he stretched out his tensed muscles. He made a bit of a face as he looked to the control board where the materia had last been used. Now, he _did_ regret using it up. "Eh...maybe I shouldn't'a used that then..." He looked to Vincent, his eyes harboring regret. "An'...well, sorry ya had ta watch that," he said as he waved a hand almost dismissively at the containment cell. "Guess I should'a thought o' somethin' else..." He looked away and went about retrieving his spear, swinging it to rest on his shoulder.

"I am going to tell you what you have so often told me," Vincent replied to Cid's obvious discomfort regarding his 'disposal' of Nero and the means by which it had been accomplished. "You worry too much. I would hope, however, that Nero managed to find peace in the end." The gunman understood all too well what it was to be driven to the edge of endurance and the terrible loneliness the Tsviet had suffered. Once, in the depths of his own madness, Vincent would have brought the world to crashing ruin for the sake of those he had lost, but for the restraint Chaos had imposed upon him.

Cid blinked at bit at Vincent’s statement. He had honestly never thought that Vincent would tell him, of all people, that he worried too much. He had heard many other choice phrases from people as to what he should do, but not that he shouldn't worry. "Eh...suppose so..." The blonde snorted softly at himself as he thought of something and shook his head. "Just got...panicked there. Wanted ta burn the bad away. Wherever he is, though...hopefully he's restin'."

“I hope so, too.” Vincent replied sincerely. “Nero was as much a victim of Hojo’s depravity as anyone.” He was silent for a moment, remembering. "Chaos..." Vincent began, "to this day manages to surprise me, though perhaps he should not. I often suspected in the past that he and Aerith were communicating. For him to do so with you…"

Cid's gold brows furrowed when Vincent started to speak of Chaos. "Yeah. Kinda likes ta throw ya fer a loop every once in a while, don't he?" It did have him a bit perplexed as to why the demon chose to speak to him. Cid hadn't ever been truly afraid of the demon, nor any of the others that resided in Vincent for that matter, but just had a healthy respect for them. He had seen each of Vincent's demons rip and shred enemies apart in order to save the rest of them, even if the killing had been out of bloodlust at times, and because of that his respect for them grew. That and the fact that he just did not want to piss off anything that could rip his heart out of his ass and watch it beat a few times before deflating. 

Cid was silent as he waged an internal battle with himself. He wanted to ask, desperately, what it was that Chaos had meant by his statement, but let it go for the time being. There was much to do and he was pretty sure they were running out of daylight. Right now, they had this place to wipe off the face of the earth, then head back home. The rest could wait. Azure eyes looked over to Vincent and Cid gave a weak smile before nodding to the door. "Come on. Let's get goin'. You go on and see how Seph's doin', and I'll see what I can scrounge up ta burn this pit ta the damn ground," he said as he started to make his way to the door. He couldn't wait for this place to be a pile of rubble after everything that had happened. "Gonna be bringin' out the good booze tonight. Need some o' the good shit after a day like this..."

Vincent smiled behind the collar of his cape, the crinkled corners of his eyes conveying amusement. “Definitely.”

Cid trekked alongside Vincent as they made their way out of the building. He looked up to see Sephiroth with his back to them, seeming to be lost in thought. At least now he was in clothing and not flashing the world. "Doin' ok, kid?" he asked as he approached, completely oblivious to the spirits of Sephiroth's friends that had been standing before him.

Sephiroth turned away from his friends at the sound of Cid's voice, blinking into the dazzle of the setting sun. When his eyes adjusted, he realized that except for the three of them, what had once been an orchard was barren and empty.

Or so Sephiroth assumed.

When he turned back to where his friends had stood, the entwined limbs of two young apple trees seemed to glow in the fading light of day, their branches laden with strong young leaves and buds unfurling, reaching to the sky. Sephiroth stood, softly smiling in remembrance and gratitude for all he had regained and just looking upon the little trees until he turned at last to face Vincent.

Cid looked over to Vincent and nodded to Sephiroth. "I'll uh...let ya two talk. I'm gonna go scout around fer some stuff. Take yer time," he said as he patted Vincent gently on the shoulder.

Just as Sephiroth began to offer a greeting to Vincent, he was interrupted.

"You may want to tell that scruffy pilot to stand aside," Genesis' amused voice spoke at Sephiroth's left as a familiar, gloved hand closed gently upon his shoulder. "After all, you always _were_ one for overkill."

Sephiroth almost laughed. “So says the man who loves to hurl fireballs.”

When Angeal's warm, firm grip joined Genesis' upon Sephiroth's right arm and Zack's welcome, long-missed touch spread between his shoulder blades, something happened…something that had once been as familiar as the breath he drew. 

Cid looked to Sephiroth with a bit of confusion when he saw the man raise his hand up in front of him and the energy waves rippling around it. Well that was an odd way of waving 'hello' to a person, wasn't it? And that's when the lightbulb went off in his head. "Uh oh..." Cid instinctively grabbed Vincent's shoulder and yanked him down as the power in Sephiroth's hand surged, the silver haired man barely having had time to shout a warning as the force of it erupted from him in an arc of blazing fire and engulfed the derelict warehouse within a raging inferno.

Cid flinched at the sound of the explosion and soon turned, watching as the inferno rose and billowed into the sky. "I'll...take that as a howdy?" Cid thought back to when he and the others first found Vincent in the dusty and grimy bowels of the ShinRa manor and how the man had aimed his gun at them, ready to fire before he even found out who they were, which made him wonder if this was just a 'thing' of the Valentine bloodline, and demonstrating something threatening is how we say 'hello' to one another! Highly irrational, but the thought was amusing.

The pilot looked back to the fire then snorted. "Heh...too bad we didn't have marshmallows..." Cid gave his head a shake as he smirked, then pat Vincent's shoulder.

"My apologies," Sephiroth said, a faint blush coloring his cheekbones as the two picked themselves up from the ground. "I certainly wasn't expecting…" his voice trailed off and his eyebrows went up when he realized the pilot was grinning at him. "Marshmallows?" Angeal coughed to cover a laugh, Zack snickered and Genesis' snorted in amusement.

_**~It was for a worthy cause~**_ Chaos interrupted smugly, making both Sephiroth and Vincent blink in unison.

"Nothin'," Cid said to Sephiroth. "I'm headin' over ta the ship. I'll let ya guys chat an' whatnot," he said then excused himself so the two could speak and catch up, or whatever the two would do. He gathered, by how the two acted, most likely a bit of awkward silence and staring would occur before they started to speak, but they would get there.

Cid walked along until he tracked down the airship and trotted over to it. Hopefully the idiots didn't run the thing low on fuel. With a short exhale, he set the Venus Gospel to the side and crawled inside the small airship. It wasn't the Shera, but it was better than nothing. Cid started checking over the gauges, flipping a few switches here and there, then checking the fuel supplies when a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "Heh, well at least we got a way back," he mumbled to himself before pulling out another cigarette from his pack and lighting it up.

Sephiroth and Vincent watched Cid go before turning their attention back to the burning warehouse. From deep in the ground beneath it, they could hear the sound of muffled explosions before the structure collapsed inward upon itself, filling in what had been beneath it and ensuring nothing would remain. The flames roared upward again, releasing a hail of sparks into the sky.

"Most satisfying…and long overdue." Genesis quipped from behind them just as Zack added a fierce, exultant _”Sweet!”_ to Genesis' comment. "I agree entirely." Angeal observed, deep satisfaction coloring his tone.

Sephiroth hadn't realized his friends were still fully present, even though their essences remained warm and close…it was enough to make him swallow roughly and blink rapidly again.

"Well, Sephiroth? Where are your manners? Are you going to make introductions, or not?" Genesis inquired.

"I wasn't aware he could see you," Sephiroth responded.

"Of course he can," Genesis replied, snorting with amusement as he moved to Sephiroth's side.

Sephiroth looked to Vincent, a part of him still unsure how to address the gunman…and saw the jeweled eyes crinkled in amusement. Behind the high collar, his father was smiling. To know what he did now…it was almost too much to comprehend, but now there would be time for them to recapture the lost years…all the time in the world.

"It is my honor to introduce…" Sephiroth's voice as it broke into the gunman's musing was strong with pride. "My father…Vincent Valentine. Vincent, these are my other friends…Angeal Hewley and Zack Fair.”

"Worthy friends all," Vincent replied. Sephiroth's voice as he acknowledged him as his father was something the gunman knew he would remember for the rest of his life. "It is a pleasure to meet you at last,” Vincent said to Angeal and Zack, and gave a nod of understanding and forgiveness to Genesis. “I have heard much about you."

"Uh oh," Zack couldn't resist chortling. "Do we need to be worried?"

"Not at all," Vincent replied as his intense gaze surveyed each of his four companions in turn. "There are those who do not forget the important things…nor the ones who embodied those qualities. Honor and pride…and what it means to be a hero." In the wake of their humble silence, Vincent nodded to where Cid was busily going over every inch of Genesis' abandoned aircraft, muttering and swearing to himself all the while. "For the time being, however, it would perhaps be a good idea to leave this place before we draw unwanted attention."

After working on a few relays and making sure the controls were all up to par, Cid sat back in the pilot seat and looked over to where Vincent was talking to Sephiroth. Cid's lips quirked a bit in a soft smile. Even with the distance between them, he knew that look in the gunslinger's eyes, one that was seen only on rare occasions. Happiness. Cid had only seen it upon occasion when they spoke from time to time, and it was a look that made his heart melt. Cid had seen the look of despair, hurt and guilt far too much in those crimson eyes, almost wondering for the longest time if it was permanent after all the turmoil that Vincent had been through. Yet there were those rare and wonderful moments where he did see it, and it gave him a glimmer of hope that Vincent would be alright and would one day find that thing that truly made him happy and no longer dwell on the past. Cid leaned back in the seat, sighing softly as he looked back up to the sky. He hoped that things would be alright from here on out at least. 

After some time had passed and Cid had finished off his cigarette, he slipped over to the open door of the air craft and called out to the others, "Oi! Let's get going before the fire crews and shit show up!"

"I am more concerned about the Turks showing up uninvited," Vincent commented to Sephiroth as he gave one final glance to the fire. It was dying down enough to be safely left behind now, and anything found in the wreckage would be not only unrecognizable, but easily passed off as leftovers from before the village's initial destruction. Just to make certain, Vincent cast Ice in a wide perimeter around it.

It was also true that only the four of Rufus' former corporate operatives remained, but in spite of their small numbers, they managed to keep abreast of events around the Planet with almost uncanny accuracy. Vincent was willing to bet that the events of the recent past would not go unnoticed by them, especially in a supposedly deserted area like Banora. Only its location, well away from the initial bombing had supposedly saved the warehouse before, but the gunman was willing to bet that this was no accident…Hojo would certainly have convinced the former president to leave this particular building intact.

"I was not aware of Turks ever deeming an invitation necessary," Sephiroth replied in a tone he had only ever used when in the company of his closest friends.

The gunman huffed softly with amusement. "You have your grandfather's sense of humor," Vincent observed as Sephiroth fell into step beside him and they made their way together to where Cid waited.

When his friends did not comment upon their exchange, Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder to find only Genesis remaining. He swallowed disappointment, wondering when –or if- he would see them again.

"Do not be concerned," Genesis said, almost as if Sephiroth had spoken his thoughts aloud. "You have unfinished business to attend. Rest assured that we shall b watching." The auburn-haired swordsman then flashed a lopsided, knowing grin at Vincent. "Tell your scruffy pilot to watch the fuel mix gauge for the portside engine. It has a tendency to give an inaccurate reading at certain altitudes."

And just because Vincent was happy and had not felt so in more years than he cared to remember, he grinned behind his collar, and with a wicked gleam in his eye, said to Genesis: "Tell him yourself."

"Challenge accepted," Genesis retorted in the same tone and proceeded to do so.

Cid had just been turning to head back to the cockpit when he stopped in midstep and swung his right foot back to step back and look out the door. His eyes went comically wide when he spotted a certain ginger-haired man who had _not_ been there just a moment before, walking alongside Sephiroth and a grinning Vincent. "How...when did...where'd... _YOU'RE SUPPOSED TA BE DEAD!"_ he squawked, his heart jumping up into his throat and his hand moving about the empty air around as if searching for a weapon. 

"Boo." Genesis grinned unrepentantly. Vincent blinked before turning his face away from Cid's view to hide his amusement. Beside him, Sephiroth covered his face with his hand, bowed his head and sighed with longsuffering patience. 

Cid stared at Genesis for a long moment before turning his gaze to Vincent with a questioning look then pointed at the- what _should_ have been- dead SOLDIER. "Did I get hit in the head since I came out here, er what?!"

"Have no fear, Mr. Highwind," Genesis replied with a crooked smirk, clasping his hands loosely behind his back. "No one slipped sylkis greens into your tobacco while you weren't paying attention… although had they done so, it would explain much," the swordsman added, almost as an afterthought. 

Cid wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but seeing as how neither of the other two were panicking, then he supposed there wasn't anything to be afraid of...much. Cid gave him a flat look, one eyebrow ticking slightly higher than the other. "Get yer rocks off givin' me heart attacks er somethin'?"

"No. I merely wished to inform you of a few mechanical 'glitches' you will need to be aware of." Genesis tilted his head toward the airship. When he finished repeating what he had said to Vincent, Genesis then paused, his expression sobering as he gathered his thoughts. "As time is of the essence, I will not delay you further," he continued. "Suffice it to say that I regret all you have suffered in our mutual endeavor, and would have told you what I had planned, had it been possible. My deepest apologies."

Azure eyes turned back to look at Genesis when he spoke of the problems with the aircraft. Well, it was better that he knew this now rather than in the sky and the aircraft decided to do a nose dive of it's own accord. Crashing one aircraft in a day was plenty enough for this pilot, thank you very much.

Almost as if he was reluctant to find out if his apology would be accepted, Genesis bowed his head with respect and turned to address Vincent and Sephiroth. "Until we meet again."

Cid kept his eyes trained on Genesis as he spoke his apology. The pilot's features mellowed as well as he looked at him. For as much as he was ticked off...ok, ...psychotically enraged was probably closer to what he had been feeling, but that anger was seeping away. And quickly. A troubled sigh escaped from Cid as he looked to Vincent and Sephiroth as they started to approach, then returned his gaze back to Genesis just as the man bowed his head.

"Hey, Gen," he called to the swordsman before he completely turned away. Cid bit at the butt of the cigarette between his lips, unsure of what all he really wanted to say to the man after everything that had happened. There was one thing however, he could. "Thanks...not fer the apology, but...fer that," Cid finished in a soft tone as he nodded to Sephiroth and Vincent. Cid could see a bit more life sparking within Vincent's crimson eyes, and he knew it was because he had his son back. And taking into consideration all that had happened between his ship getting destroyed and his leg busted among the numerous other events...it had been worth it in the end to see that look in Vincent's eyes once more.

Giving a single nod of acknowledgment, Genesis smiled faintly and as suddenly as he had manifested, was gone.

Vincent turned to Sephiroth, who was staring at the place where Genesis had stood, his expression unreadable. "With all of the planet to choose from, where would you wish to go?" he asked.

Until Vincent's question interrupted his musings, Sephiroth had been wondering the same thing. Somewhat startled and recalling how seldom he had been asked _anything_ regarding his own wants or needs in his life, it took a moment for Sephiroth to formulate an answer.

_I can go anywhere…_ In his mind's eye, a mosaic of images formed, memories and regrets… and in the wake of them rose an unbridled, seething rage. Within, Sephiroth felt Chaos stir in anticipation. Sephiroth's smile was feral when he abruptly leaped aboard the aircraft, Vincent's cape billowing as the gunman immediately followed.

As they made their own preparations for departure, Sephiroth gave Vincent his reply.

"Nibelheim."

Once the two were inside the aircraft, Cid closed the doors on the airship and locked them up, checking the gauges to see what the cabin pressure was at. "Alright, so where we...did'ja just say Nibelheim?" he asked in a bewildered tone with an expression to match. "Th'fuck ya wanna go there fer?"

Sephiroth quirked a subtle smile at the pilot and narrowed his eyes in an inscrutable manner that was entirely too reminiscent of Vincent at his most cryptic. "Unfinished business," he replied simply. The swordsman then leaned back in his seat in preparation of the long flight ahead of them and closed his eyes, withdrawing into his own thoughts.

Cid wondered why he even bothered questioning Sephiroth on the matter. As he was Vincent's son and apparently more like the gunman than he had realized, Sephiroth would end up delivering some sort of puzzling message as an answer if he did further question him on the matter, and Cid truly didn't feel like deciphering just yet. Not until he had at least another two cigarettes. Maybe then, he would feel up to the task. Cid sighed softly as he shook his head. "Alright. Nibelheim it is, then," he replied then raised the machine into the air and took off to their new destination.

Vincent studied his son for the length of time it took Cid to bring their craft to altitude and settle into his chosen course. When Sephiroth's smooth, even breathing indicated he either slept or had entered a deep meditative state, the gunman rose silently from his seat and joined Cid at the controls, settling himself into the copilot's chair. When Vincent spoke, it was in a low murmur that would not have carried beyond the area where they sat, and his gaze swept over Cid fully assessing the pilot’s condition, assuring himself as he had done so many times in the past that his friend was indeed well. With Cid, one never knew. The pilot tended to downplay any injuries he received, and whatever he thought of their circumstances until he'd had time to assimilate whatever had happened. Even with an hours-long flight ahead of them, their time was limited, and Vincent wanted to make certain of Cid's wellbeing…or lack of it.

_**~You could simply have asked me~**_ Chaos offered, breaking the unusual silence the demon had maintained since they'd left the warehouse behind.

_I'd rather hear it from him,_ Vincent replied dryly. _You tend to either exaggerate, or go for shock value._

Vincent received the equivalent of a demonic snort of amusement from Chaos in reply, but he noted that Chaos didn't deny his accusation. Very well, two could play that game- and as Chaos seemed to be enjoying himself a bit too much at their expense, Vincent admitted to feeling a bit vindictive. Considering -and as quickly casting aside a half-dozen openings for their coming conversation- Vincent finally decided upon his course of action.

"Chaos tells me you have questions."

Brows raised questioningly and with a hint of surprise at the abrupt question. "Did he now." He was glad that he had a wondrous ability to keep his face turning red from embarrassment. Cid often wondered why he couldn't put this technique to use when it came to keeping his face from turning red while tearing a strip out of someone, but at the time, he never really seemed to care. "Uh, yeah, I guess I do," he said, trying to think of where to start. Or _how_ for that matter. In a way it was...rather embarrassing, especially if he was incorrectly interpreting the statement spoken by 'Chaos' at that point. "Well...while we were in the warehouse and ya were sittin' on the floor, Chaos was kinda...talkin' through ya an' all," he said, lightly waving his fingers as he held onto the controls. Oh, how he wanted to light another cigarette right now. "Told me not ta worry 'bout Seph, that he'd protect him an' all. Then he called me 'consort'...an' I've never heard him call me that before..." 

Cid pursed his lips for a moment and glanced over to Vincent, feeling his heart hammering in his chest a bit, then returning his gaze out the window and gave a shrug. "Guess it kinda confused me as ta why. Just thought I'd ask ya what he meant by that." Cid doubted -and _highly_ doubted for that matter- that it was the meaning that he had first thought. After all...he was sure that tall, dark, and stoic sitting beside him was not interested in men, for the simply fact of the man sitting behind him. Vincent obviously was interested in women. Hell, he had perched in that cave for how long, staring at his lost love, of course he wasn't interested in men. Even though there may had been times where he wished that wasn't the case, he quickly tossed any thoughts out the window and just pulled another cigarette out of his pack. Vincent had enough things impressed upon him in his lifetime, things that he hadn't wanted or was uncomfortable with, and be damned if Cid would be another to do that.

Vincent mentally winced and fought the urge to hide himself within the collar of his cape as he had been wont to do so many times in the past, reminding himself forcibly of who he was dealing with. This was _Cid,_ someone who had witnessed everything about him- at both his best and worst- and had never batted an eyebrow or offered a disparaging remark. "Chaos has always been…" Vincent began, feeling his way past the embarrassment of Chaos' machinations. "…rather _vocal_ in his opinions of others, and as reluctant as I am to admit it, he is also a very astute judge of character." It came as no surprise on the heels of this statement to feel a flicker of smug amusement from his internal guest, though Chaos refrained from commenting. The gunman paused, considering the ramifications of the echo of Chaos' presence within Sephiroth- who was not as oblivious to his surroundings as he seemed. Whatever Vincent said, his son would hear…but perhaps this too was the best way to assure Sephiroth that the pilot was someone he would not ever need to be wary of, despite his often brash manner. Vincent smiled to himself, certain that future interactions between the two would prove very educational…and possibly rather entertaining.

"Perhaps it would be best if I started from the beginning," the gunman continued, diverting himself from his musings. "It is…unfair of me to refer to Chaos as a demon," Vincent admitted. "He is an infinite being…as ancient as Gaia herself- and the last of his kind." Vincent stared sightlessly through the airship's front window, seeing instead a vision of the past. "When my father was a young man, his greatest interest lay in the field of archaeology. It was while he was unearthing the ruins of a temple on Goblin Island that he found a strange artifact and brought it home with him to study. When he analyzed it, he made a startling discovery. The artifact was actually a fusion of every materia ever discovered; fully mastered in its natural form and containing every spell ever known to exist. What he did _not_ know at the time was that he had desecrated a tomb and had, in essence, stolen someone's soul…and by then, it was too late. He did not dare return it to its original resting place, for fear it would be discovered by someone whose intent was… less than honorable. And so he hid it…but then, thinking her trustworthy, he made the further mistake of telling his apprentice about it."

Cid was silent as he controlled the ship, allowing the gunslinger beside him to speak without any interruption. Truth was, he loved listening to Vincent speak. Not just because the sound of the gunslinger's voice sent shivers down his spine from time to time, but for the mere fact that the man _was_ speaking. For the longest time, Vincent barely said two words unless prodded a bit for information. So when it came to moments like this, he cherished them, and was glad that Vincent could at least come to him and talk. Cid went as silent as the grave as Vincent spoke of his past. He knew it was a major sore spot of Vincent's, and he honestly couldn't blame him, considering everything he'd been through. Cid looked over to Vincent and sighed at the tense look about the gunman as he spoke of his past, anger and rage coiling within the gunman's muscles. Cid stretched out a hand out and briefly rubbed Vincent's shoulder gently in an attempt to try and comfort him at the bitter memories. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing that Cid could think of doing at the moment.

Vincent paused, looking down at his clenched hands and releasing a weary sigh before continuing. "You know the rest of that tale…and Lucrecia's obsession. I have no doubt that if circumstances had been different, that she would have implanted the Protomateria within Sephiroth in a vain attempt to curb Hojo's ambitions. Chaos and I have debated the ramifications of such a possibility endlessly." Vincent paused again, smiling ruefully at Cid. "But to answer your question, Chaos merely voiced aloud what I had not dared speak of- much less hope for. When all this is over…" Vincent's voice trailed off, his courage deserting him at last as he deliberately stared out the window again, unable to meet the pilot's eyes.

When it came to the last few words that Vincent had to say, it took a few moments for the information to settle in Cid's mind. Vincent Valentine was attracted to him? That part had honestly floored him. Granted, he hoped that what Chaos had said to him was true, there was still the thought in the back of his mind that said Vincent would never be attracted to anyone like him. When the gunman hesitated, he waited for a moment to see if Vincent was going to finish the sentence or not. However, when silence was the only thing that followed, Cid knew that he had to speak up.

"Look, Vince...yer not...the only one that's been keepin' things in, and not talkin' 'bout them..." Damn it all, Cid hated this feeling; he felt like a hormonal teenager speaking to their crush for the first time. Then again, knowing that the man's son was in the back seat, he didn't particularly want to give out too many details. Cid pursed his lips and sighed as he looked below to the town of Nibelheim and across to the old ShinRa manor, the birthplace of the darkness that had overcome Gaia. Another place that deserved to be cleansed from the face of the planet. Cid started his descent towards the large building, bringing the machine down nice and smooth to the ground. He glanced back over to Vincent, even though the man seemed to still be avoiding eye contact. "How 'bout we finish talkin' it over later? When we get back?"

Vincent looked away from the window at last and gave Cid a nod of acknowledgment, even managing a faint smile for his friend.

The pilot unbuckled himself and looked back to the silver haired man, then moved a hand to smack at the SOLDIER’s bent knee. Not hard as to hurt him but enough to get his attention. "Hey, we're here. Let's get up 'n go." 

_~Now, was that so difficult?~_ came the familiar voice from within Vincent, Chaos breaking his silence at last.

Watching Cid's hasty retreat, Vincent gathered what was left of his patience and thought a reply to Chaos. "You have no concept of personal boundaries, do you? You didn't need to embarrass him with talk of ‘consorts’."

_~I grew weary of watching you two dance endlessly around one another~_ Chaos retorted unapologetically. _~Even my patience has its limits.~_ Chaos then flooded Vincent's mind with a series of decidedly erotic imagery featuring the gunman and Cid, and Vincent couldn't help but flinch and wonder if he was indeed still capable of blushing. Worst of all was how Sephiroth's eyes snapped open when the pilot approached him, his intense green eyes instantly seeking Vincent's with an expression of startlement.

Cid blinked at the look cast between the two men. He had a feeling he was going to be a lot of the silent 'I know what you are thinking, there is no need to say it' looks between the two. Yes. They were definitely blood relatives, that was for sure. "I'll uh...let ya both chat. I'm goin' out fer another smoke," he said then quietly stepped out of the ship to do just that.

Vincent almost groaned aloud. "Chaos, tell me you didn't-"

_~Perhaps I did…and perhaps I did not~_ Chaos chortled wickedly. _~You can always ask him~_ Relenting in response to Vincent's exasperation, Chaos continued. _~Fear not, Host. I merely gave your son something to think about~_

Vincent wasn't certain if he needed to feel relieved, or further embarrassed on Sephiroth's behalf. Perhaps a tactical retreat of his own was in order. The gunman rose fluidly from the copilot's chair, his expression carefully schooled to reveal nothing of his thoughts as he approached Sephiroth. When their eyes met again, nothing remained of his son's previous expression but a slight trace of confusion. "I would tell you that you will get used to him, but from my own experience, it would be merely wishful thinking."

Sephiroth's bemused expression intensified as he blinked, hoping the intimate images he'd been given had not been relayed through Chaos' link with Vincent. It made him wonder if Zack had been exaggerating after all. Beyond that was the enormity of what he had learned of Chaos' history. The pilot and Vincent were not the only two who were going to be having many long, late-night talks. "Is Chaos always like that?" Sephiroth asked, deciding for the moment that perhaps simplicity was the best, and yet almost dreading his father's answer.

"No," Vincent replied wryly. "Most of the time, he's worse."

"I'll…bear that in mind," Sephiroth ducked his head and seemed only at that moment to realize that he was still strapped to his seat. He huffed in annoyance and began releasing buckles as Vincent waited, his own gaze following the path Cid had taken when he departed the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter to make up for having been away for so long. Thank you always for reading, and we hope you enjoy!


	15. Chapter 15

Though the open hatch, Vincent could see the pilot waiting a short distance away on the ground, their previous, awkward conversation seemingly forgotten as Cid squinted against the intensity of the morning sun to focus eastward. When Vincent and Sephiroth joined Cid a few moments later, enhanced hearing detected the singular sound of a powerful motorcycle's engine at full throttle, its driver apparently giving little heed to the steep, treacherous ground being traveled.

Cloud had argued with Zack all during the long ride from Cosmo Canyon. The blond swordsman made a point of stopping there whenever his deliveries brought him to the western continent, simply because it was one of the places he could feel his friend's presence the strongest and most easily speak with him. In fact, it had only been the night before that Cloud had wakened from a deep sleep –which was rare enough in itself- to the sensation of Zack's warm, insistent hand upon his shoulder, bringing him back into reality.

"Up and at 'em, Spike. There's somewhere you gotta be."

Still half asleep, Cloud groaned and tried to hide his head under his pillow until he realized that the hand now waggling fingers before his face looked all too solid and real. His gaze traveled up the length of that arm to the shoulder, and from there to Zack's grinning face.

 _"Zack?!!_ How… What…" Impossibly wide blue eyes locked upon those familiar, beloved features and a shaking hand tentatively reached out- all to afraid that what he saw would disappear. Instead, he was caught up in the warm, familiar arms and almost crushed against the strength of Zack's chest. It was too much. Cloud grabbed on tightly and for the first time in years, allowed himself to cry.

"Hey, now…" Zack's voice murmured in Cloud's ear awhile later. "It's gonna be okay…I promise." When Cloud at last pulled back far enough to look up at Zack again, his eyes were full of questions. Zack grinned again. "I'll explain on the way. For now, you need to saddle up…they're waiting for you."

And that was how Cloud found himself where he was now, still more than annoyed over not knowing his friends had needed his help, even though Zack had explained it to him at length on their long ride through the night. "Believe me, I understand," Zack told him patiently yet again as Cloud topped the last rise leading into Nibelheim. "I wanted to help too, especially when we found out what was happening- but like Aerith said, it was _their_ battle to fight."

It wasn't much consolation, in Cloud's opinion, and yet the old, secret wish long sealed away and memories of what might have been were waiting as he shut down Fenrir's motor. When Cloud could bring his eyes at last to Sephiroth's face, there was no trace of madness there.

"Hey, Spike!" Cid called to Cloud as the man finally parked the bike. He approached him a bit, then followed his gaze to Sephiroth's. Cid frowned a bit as Cloud seemed to be in a daze as those blue eyes of his just kept staring at Sephiroth. Cid sure as hell hoped that Cloud didn't decide to charge at him and that there would be a full-out battle. Granted he could fully understand _why_ Cloud would want to attack him, especially after everything that had happened and what had been lost, but that didn't mean that he wanted it to happen. "He's ain't like he was when we last saw him, Cloud. Trust me." Cid could only hope that Cloud didn't try to tear into Sephiroth and he would have to end up holding him back.

Cloud gave no indication of having heard Cid at all, but neither did he attack. His hand twitched as if suppressing a need to reach for the sword strapped to his back, still watching Sephiroth with wary eyes.

~*~*~*~

Cid looked to the sky when he heard the whir of helicopter blades, blue eyes focusing on the machine with the large ShinRa logo splayed across the side of it. "Hmph. Got here quicker than I thought," he said to himself. A final drag was taken off the cigarette before it was tossed to the ground and stubbed out beneath his boot as he advanced towards the anticipated point of landing, squinting at the dust that was kicked up. When it did land and the roar of the engine started to die down, the door opened up and the first to step out was the ever-serious looking Director of the Turks stepping out with a duffel bag in tow. Behind Tseng followed Rufus, then Rufus' other two henchmen, Reno and Rude. Cid couldn't help but smirk at the red head. "Well look at that, ya didn't crash it this time. Been practicin' more?"

Rude tried concealing a snort but tried to hide this fact from Reno. The redhead did have a few bad rounds with luck when it came to helicopters as of late and word travelled quickly.

"Bite me, Highwind." Reno smirked.

The pilot looked back to Reno and snorted. "I think I'll pass. I like rare meat, but yer a bit _too_ rare, and I don't know where you've been." It was then that Cid turned his attention to the dark haired Turk. Cid couldn't say he cared much for Tseng, or the rest of the Turks for that matter, due to the past history between them and AVALANCHE, though the hate had dulled over the years and they did mutually agree on the fact that the old ShinRa manor was due for demolishment. At least Tseng had, especially when he mentioned that the demolition of the place was Vincent's idea. Cid had remembered Vincent speaking of when he had saved Tseng and Elena's lives after having been tortured by the Remnants and that Tseng had promised to return the favour one day. And today, that favour would be cashed in. "Got the things that we asked fer?"

Tseng answered Cid by holding out the bag to him that had been filled with explosives and charges, courtesy of Rude, who had picked out some of the best explosives from their arsenal. "Hopefully these will be enough."

"If it's made by chuckles over there," he said with a jerk of his head in Rude's direction, "then I'm sure it'll do the job. Thanks fer this."

Tseng nodded. "You're welcome. I did owe a favour, after all." He looked to Vincent, bowing his head slightly to him. If there was one thing he honoured the most of all it was repaying debts, especially those between Turks. It took some convincing, a half hour's worth, but he'd manage to convince Rufus that the old ShinRa manor was no longer needed and a new structure could always take place of the old if needed, so it had been relatively easy to get over that hump.

Reno shrugged negligently. “No problem, man. We were already in Corel, so we just liberated some prime goodies from the demo stockpile.”

"I appreciate it." It was only then that he noticed the frown building on Tseng's face and the subtle movement of his hand going to his jacket where he was very sure the Turk had his gun hid. Cid immediately snapped his fingers the air to get their attention. He pointed into the distance at Sephiroth though keeping his eyes on Turks and ex-SOLDIER alike. "Hey, I know what yer all thinkin,' but that's not the same Sephiroth as before, so don't go drawin' weapons and startin' shit! 'Cause ya lay one damned hand on him and I'm shovin' an assortment of these bombs up yer asses, got it?!"

Rufus, who had actually been silent the entirety of the time, glared at Cid though he kept glancing over to Sephiroth with a mix of rage and fear while Tseng and Rude took stance in front of him. "How do you know-"

 _"I FUCKIN' KNOW! NOW DROP IT OR I'LL DROP YOU!"_ He growled and turned on his heel and signaled Vincent and Sephiroth to follow. "Come on, you two! We got a buildin' ta blow ta hell!" he called as he started to march towards the manor house.

“Cid.” In that preternatural way of his, Vincent seemed to suddenly appear at the pilot’s side, pacing him stride for stride. He reached out with his human hand and caught the pilot’s arm with the intent of slowing him down, then moved to block his friend’s path. Allowing his own expression to convey his understanding of Cid’s mindset and intentions as he faced the pilot, Vincent continued. “We should let Cloud and Sephiroth go first. They suffered more at Hojo’s hands than we can ever comprehend.” The gunman looked down to the devices Cid held in a white-knuckled fist before meeting the pilot’s eyes again. “I have already had my revenge in the destruction of Deepground…but if you will, I would consider it a personal favor if you placed the first charges in the coffin where I was found.”

“Well I'd let 'em go first if they hurried their asses up!" Cid could understand why Vincent would want one of the charges set there, in the hell hole that Vincent had been locked in for so long. He couldn't blame him. In an odd way though, he almost didn't want to destroy that part of the manor. As strange as it sounded, it almost had a certain sentiment to it because that was the first time he had seen Vincent, rising from that coffin, but he couldn't let it override what Vincent wanted. Besides, the coffin wasn't as important to him as the man who had been held captive within it. "Sure thing, Vince," he said with a small smile and a pat on the shoulder. He looked over his own shoulder to the Turks. "What, got yer damned shoelaces tied together er somethin'!? Pick it up!"

Tseng groaned and shook his head as he approached the manor. "Honestly, you have no patience, do you?"

"After the day I’ve had? Fuck no," Cid replied as he started into the building. He set the bag down on the floor and reached in to grab a few of the bombs within it. "Alrighty folks, see ya in a while. I'm headin' down to the basement," he said before departing through the musty and cobweb-filled mansion.

Vincent started to follow him then paused, casting a final glance over his shoulder through the front doors of the mansion that Cid had flung wide in his passing. Ignoring Rufus and his Turks as they filed past, Vincent’s attention was held instead by the reappearance of one of the people he’d seen in Banora. The young man wearing the outdated uniform of a SOLDIER First was watching Cloud and Sephiroth with an expression of longsuffering patience, a crooked smile upon his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

 _~You are being paranoid~_ Chaos prodded from within, prompting Vincent into motion once again. Ignoring the demon’s comment while privately admitting the truth of it, Vincent wasted no time in catching up with Cid, swirling down the rusting, dilapidated staircase into the basement’s depths.

Outside the mansion, an amused snort broke the staring match between Sephiroth and Cloud, shortly followed by a comment only one person would have dared make. “You guys haven’t changed a bit.” Two sets of eyes, one green, one blue immediately snapped to where Zack leaned against Fenrir, watching them with a knowing grin. “You can make chocobo eyes at each other later…we have _work_ to do.” If anything, Zack’s grin became broader as a faint blush appeared on Cloud’s face and Sephiroth raised one eyebrow as if challenging him to continue. Zack didn’t disappoint him. “Funny how it’s me getting to say that for a change. Imagine that.” In one smooth motion, Zack straightened and advanced, thumping each of his friends on their shoulders as he passed between them, almost bouncing through the mansion’s gates where the others had recently disappeared.

Still in shock over Zack’s comment and annoyed by how easily his friend had reduced him to feeling like an embarrassed sixteen-year-old, Cloud’s blush deepened as he watched Zack depart. _“Asshole,”_ Cloud muttered fondly, and then he felt his lips stretching into a tentative, rare smile, almost as if his face had forgotten how to form such an expression.

Sephiroth knew he was staring again, but to see Cloud wearing his ‘Zack smile’ was like being catapulted into the past, where at one time, he had watched from a distance and held a quiet, secret hope that someday… he found his hand reaching unconsciously to touch Cloud’s shoulder, wondering how it would feel to do so when they were not intent upon battling one another.

Sephiroth’s hand halted, then dropped back to his side, his fingers curling empty at his side as the reality of their surroundings came rushing back, bringing memories of all that had happened in this cursed place. “Cloud, I…” he said, and the blond turned to him, the open, relaxed expression still upon his face.

There was a sudden flurry of movement as some small creature fled the mansion, and the moment was lost. Happiness fell away from Cloud’s expression as he turned to face Sephiroth, and the brief, unguarded emergence of the person Cloud had once been before everything went to hell was gone as if he had never existed. But in that final glimpse, there had been _something_ , and Sephiroth knew his eyes had not deceived him.

“We are wasting time,” Cloud said flatly, and not waiting for a response, turned and walked away, leaving Sephiroth to follow.  
Once inside the mansion, Cloud could feel a tightening between his shoulder blades with the awareness of Sephiroth’s close proximity to his unguarded back, but refused to acknowledge it. _This was where Sephiroth had gone insane,_ his mind insisted relentlessly. _over there, Zack had waited in ever-dwindling hope of his commander’s emergence from the basement…_ Shoving the memories brutally aside, Cloud instead forced his attention to where Rufus and his Turks’ voices drifted upward as they descended the basement staircase.

Sephiroth’s own state of mind was little better than Cloud’s as he followed doggedly in the blond’s wake, looking neither right nor left at their surroundings other than maintaining awareness of potential attack. Every step forward was increasingly harder to take, as the memory of his early years in this place and Hojo’s brutality came crowding in, threatening to overwhelm him. _If remembering is like this for me, what must it be for Cloud and Zack? Hojo had half a lifetime to perfect his methods on me…and Cloud and Zack suffered the full brunt of his sadism in only a fraction of that time…_ Sephiroth felt himself break into a cold sweat. _And before Hojo got his hands on them, there was me…_ Sephiroth’s breathing, though he tried to control it, became increasingly more ragged. Almost, he could feel the ghostly presence of the hated scientist at his back, and resisted looking over his shoulder, refusing to acknowledge the power  
Hojo had once held over him. What lay before him was no better; below waited the library with its twisted lies and half-truths and the darkness that had swallowed them all. With his own heartbeat pounding in his ears, Sephiroth realized he could hear footsteps on the staircase behind him. It was enough to stop him in his tracks, regardless of the new voice within him speaking a reassurance he could not hear. He froze, waiting to feel the crushing grip of Hojo’s hand upon his shoulder, and damned himself for cowardice as Cloud turned back to stare up at him with haunted, wary eyes, his hand darting up to clench upon the grip of his sword.

When the anticipated hand did indeed close upon his shoulder, Sephiroth startled badly, and he stared helplessly down at where Cloud stood. His gloved hands clenched upon the railing at either side, immobilized and cursing himself for his immobility. When Cloud looked over Sephiroth’s in wide-eyed awe, but not fear, Sephiroth glanced down and realized the hand upon his shoulder was gloved in red, its touch reassuring and warm.

“I am sorry, old friend,” Genesis apologized. “It was not our intent to startle you, but it seems we arrived just in time.”

It was then that Sephiroth felt another hand close upon his other shoulder and felt the familiar weight of Angeal’s grip there. He looked back and upward, to where the faces of his friends gazed down at him with gentle concern. Sephiroth forced himself to relax and take a deep, ragged breath as he slowly regained control of himself. When he could trust his voice again, he replied: “No apology necessary. It seems this place still has too strong a claim upon me.”

“Upon all of us,” Genesis acknowledged. Genesis then turned his attention to Cloud, and in his voice was both respect and an apology for his own part in the events of years past. “Lead on, SOLDIER. We’ve got your back.”

“Its about time you two showed up,” quipped Zack from the step below Cloud, where he had not been standing a moment before. “Thought you guys were going to miss the party.”

“We would not want any of you to face this again without us,” Angeal replied, and underlying his comment was an apology meant for all of them. Cloud’s quiet nod of acknowledgment and Zack’s eyes shining with unshed tears as the tightly-coiled horror of moments before dissipated was followed by Angeal quirking his lips at Zack in a rare show of humor. “Puppy, you’re holding up traffic. There’s enough weight on these steps to send us all to the bottom sooner than we want to get there.”

A quiet huff of amusement was Sephiroth’s only comment before they were all moving again, descending swiftly into the darkness where the others awaited them.  
The Turks split up, each of them taking explosives to the central parts of the building, setting them up in the proper areas to take down the structure; supporting walls and corners of rooms to cave it in, while the others detoured downstairs to the darker parts of the old mansion.

For as much as Cid was used to being around mechanics, inhaling fumes of gasoline, diesel, oil, and other unhealthy things people shouldn't inhale on a regular basis, it was always dust that seemed to make him choke and cough more so than anything else. And this place was full of it. The blond haired man let out a sneeze here and there, pretty sure that he was sneezing dust out of his lungs since there was so much of it in the air. Cid sniffed and rubbed his nose, the smell of mildew and mold seeming to grow stronger. "Ugh...I'm gonna be sneezin' fer hours now," he said to himself as he moved deeper into the stone bowels of the building. Blue eyes locked onto the door where he and his comrades had first found Vincent, and he slowly stepped inside.

Other than a few more blankets of dust resting over the room and some additional cobwebs in the corner, it really didn't look much different. "Never thought I'd be comin' back ta this place," he said to himself under his breath, and went about placing the explosives in the room. One went directly into the coffin, and one each in two of the corners of the room, to make sure that it would cave in when the trigger was set off. He looked back to see Vincent scanning the room. Cid had to wonder for a moment if Vincent coming down here was a good idea or not. It wasn't a pleasant memory, he knew that, but then again maybe it was what he needed. Cid had always worried that Vincent would never let go of this place, nor the past, but all he could do was hope that Vincent would let those memories go one day. He was thankful that hadn't been the case, though he knew that it was a struggle for Vincent, especially when Deep Ground made its presence known. The gunslinger had come very far since that point. Everyone had, for that matter, but more so him. "Ready ta say goodbye ta this place fer good?" Cid asked as he went to stand beside Vincent.

“Actually, I always thought Cloud would have taken it down long before now.” Vincent replied, listening both to the pilot’s muttering and to the sounds emanating from beyond the room he and Cid occupied. Most specifically, the lack of said sounds, aside from the murmur of voices further down the corridor. There was as yet no screech of rending metal, no crash of breaking glass. “After all,” Vincent continued, “we are more than familiar with his history here.”

~ _I would have been most displeased, had he done so~_ Chaos interjected darkly, reminding Vincent that he had yet to reply to Cid’s question.

The gunman refocused upon Cid’s progress. The pilot’s methods were not as elegant as the Turks would have used, but then again, Cid’s body language as he performed his task was stiff and abrupt, jerky motions that implied a barely repressed rage with which Vincent was long familiar. He then realized that in his own way, Cid had needed this act of revenge as badly as Cloud or himself...and that he was doing this for the both of them, or perhaps everyone who had suffered here. In his mind, he felt Chaos hum agreement.

When Cid had finished laying out the explosives to his satisfaction and came to stand beside him, Vincent looked around the room one last time, thinking of how long he had been imprisoned here, and all that he had awakened to when the lid of his coffin had been thrown back at last. As a Turk, Vincent did not believe in coincidence. There were patterns to everything, if one was aware enough to see them. Therefore, Vincent decided, it was no accident that they were all gathered in this place…and just for an instant, he caught a glimpse of a smiling Aerith in his peripheral vision before he felt the soft brush of a kiss upon his cheek. Vincent blinked and the vision was gone, but he knew he was not imagining the scent of flowers in its wake. He looked around the room one last time and the cobwebs were only cobwebs, the dust and mold simply what would be expected of any long-neglected place.

Vincent had never been a person much given to impulse, but in that moment, and with Chaos urging him on, the gunman decided to celebrate his final freedom from the ghosts of the past, and to set his path into the future. Turning to Cid with his face no longer partially hidden behind the collar of his cape, Vincent smiled softly and gave Cid his answer when he kissed him.

Cid's mind, and body, for that matter- seemed to hit a brick wall when Vincent walked up to him and placed the kiss on his lips. At first he had stiffened from surprise when Vincent made the first move, but after a brief moment he smiled against the other’s lips and couldn't stop his hand from coming up to thread his fingers into the long black locks of hair and hold him there for a bit longer, feeling like small currents of electricity were working their way through his body. His heart felt like it wanted to leap out of his chest with excitement because this was actually happening in reality and not just a figment of his imagination or a dream, but at the same time he felt nervous because he didn't want to do anything to mess anything up between them. Cid knew he hadn't had the greatest track record when it came to long relationships, and the last thing he wanted to do was to mess this up. When the kiss finally broke, even though it didn't feel like it lasted long enough, Cid blinked a couple of times and looked up into Vincent’s burning red eyes. "Guess that's a yes, huh?" he said with a small grin. After a moment the grin faded to a soft smile and he gently ran his thumb over Vincent's cheek, admiring how flawless the gunslinger's pale skin was. "Ya know I...always did wonder what it'd be like...us, ya know. Just...well, after everythin' you'd been through...didn't wanna go pushin' somethin' on ya."

“How long have we known one another, Chief?” Vincent murmured. “I think we’ve both learned our lessons the hard way. If anything, we know what _not_ to do.” He leaned into Cid’s touch and pressed another brief, soft kiss upon the pilot’s lips. “And to answer your question, I’d say that’s a _definite_ yes.”

~ _Well its about time~_ Chaos interjected smugly, though it refrained from further comment.

Cid snorted softly, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Heh, got that right," he replied before he returned the gentle kiss, causing the grin to grow even more. This wasn't exactly the place where he'd imagined first kissing the silent gunman, but it was sure as hell better than never being able to kiss him at all!

It seemed to Vincent that the majority of his demon’s attention was focused elsewhere, and he wondered briefly if Chaos might be more interested in what was happening with Sephiroth, and by extension, Cloud. Then Vincent forgot them completely and focused his own attention where it truly belonged, upon the man who stood before him. Another kiss was definitely in order, and so Vincent allowed himself to let go and indulge in the long-forgotten sense of spontaneity. When they broke apart again, the gunman said, “Cid, you would never push me into anything. If you were going to-“

The sound of Reno’s EMR smacking the door of the room where they stood, followed immediately by: “Hate to break up the party, but we need to be movin’ along here, yo” interrupted whatever else Vincent might have said. When the gunman turned to face Reno, the Turk’s expression was uncharacteristically solemn. Vincent raised his eyebrows in question, inviting Reno to continue.

“Your boy ain’t lookin’ real happy, Valentine. Might wanna check in on him.” Reno replied. Without waiting for an answer, Reno turned and headed back in the direction of the basement library, leaving them to follow.

Blue eyes shifted to look to the door when he heard the knock. If it hadn't been for Reno saying something was happening with Sephiroth and for the look on his face, he would have just belted the red head for interrupting his and Vincent's quiet moment of kissing. "Great," he said as he started out of the room alongside Vincent to look into the situation. Cid wondered what could be going on with Sephiroth. Was it because of the memories of this place, or was it something else? He hoped that it wasn't anything too serious. Cid pulled out his cigarettes and lit another one up, feeling a bit anxious as they wandered. When he did lay eyes on Sephiroth, he could see what Reno meant. The silver-haired SOLDIER didn't look great at the slightest. He looked between Cloud and Sephiroth, eyebrow raised as if confused. "What the hell ya both lookin' so down fer? Surprised ya both aren't cuddlin' and kissin' yet." Blonde brows quirked once more as he felt eyes on him and he looked around at the mixed expressions of shock and confusion in the eyes of those around him. "What? Am I seriously the only one who noticed blondie had a crush on Seph?" After a moment of silence, Cid made a 'hmph' of surprise and took a drag off his cigarette. "Ya guys are slow."

“Wait…ya mean Strife here, and…” Reno’s voice trailed off as he waved his EMR between Cloud and Sephiroth, his eyebrows climbing to his hairline.

“Still rather slow on the uptake for a Turk, isn’t he?” Genesis scoffed.

Reno paled and stumbled backwards several feet in the confined space, away from what was to him, a disembodied voice. With the choreographed ease of long practice, Tseng and Rude moved to stand shoulder to shoulder, shielding Rufus and bringing their weapons up, aiming them at empty space.

Zack laughed outright and the Turks’ weapons swung to his position.

“Uh…what exactly are you aiming at, guys?”

Then whatever possessed Reno to charge at Genesis with a wild yell and his EMR crackling at full charge resulted in Genesis taking a single, graceful step to the side. A red-gloved hand shot out and grabbed the Turk by the scruff of his neck, his fist closing upon Reno’s jacket and shirt before he could collide with Angeal, leaving the redhead to wonder if he would have just passed through the SOLDIER’s body and kept on going.

That was when Reno realized his feet were no longer on the floor and Genesis was holding him at arm’s length, his eyes narrow and an annoyed quirk upon his lips. Genesis shot a smirk to Rufus. “I believe this belongs to you?”

“Yes, I am afraid so,” Rufus replied in an identical tone. The glare he fixed upon Reno promised a lengthy discussion of the matter in the near future.

Angeal, meanwhile, cast a pitying glance to Cloud, who was now standing with his head down, his eyes fixed upon the moldy remains of what had once been a priceless Wutaian rug. Sephiroth’s expression was unreadable, but the book he held in his hands was being crushed in a white-knuckled grip, fragments of it filtering from between his fingers and drifting to the floor.

“Alright. That’s enough, you two.” Angeal admonished his ethereal companions grimly.

Zack’s laughter was abruptly cut off when, in a move faster than human sight could truly follow, Sephiroth turned his back to them all and hurled the book at the far wall, where the remains of it exploded, raining pages to scatter upon the floor.


End file.
